Veteran forklift operator Danny Rodriguez rode an upright Toyota 8FBCU25 down into a gaping hole that materialised suddenly inside an East Rutherford warehouse on 20 May.

The four-wheel cushion-tyre electric forklift has a lifting capacity of 5,000 lb. (2,250 kg), incorporates Toyota’s System of Active Stability technology and was being used to move pallets.

Nearby stores of cooking oil and soy sauce followed the 8-Series electric into the 8 ft.-deep (2.4 m) pit. The containers broke apart, spreading the fluid contents, virtually pitching Rodriguez into total darkness and requiring him to take extreme efforts for extrication.

Although his foot was stuck, Rodriguez was able to shake it free and get himself back to the floor without outside assistance, according to a police report.

Emergency responders took Rodriguez to the Hackensack University Medical Centre for treatment of a back injury.

AM Express Freight Inc of Carlstadt, New Jersey employs Rodriguez and leases the warehouse from CRI Construction Inc for the storage of non-perishable food items.

Local engineering and construction code officials required evacuation of the units of AM Express and two neighbouring CRI tenants, trucking firm Pioneer Logistics Inc and water management specialist Purity Laboratories Inc, until the building is cleared for safe use.