Investigation Continues in Forklift Fatality at Santa Maria Airport
Passenger Killed When Forks Hit Pickup Truck
In a tragic accident between a forklift driven by a board member of the Santa Maria airport and a pickup truck, 39-year-old Tiffany Ann Peterson was killed on May 2 when the truck driven by her father, Charles Peterson, “collided into the forks,” according to Santa Maria Traffic Bureau Sergeant Jason Zickuhr. The truck driver suffered moderate injuries, while the forklift operator, 81-year-old David Baskett, walked away unscathed.
The blue Dodge pickup was traveling south on Skyway Drive, the public road parallel to the Santa Maria Public Airport, when it collided with the forklift at the intersection of Hangar Street, a smaller road used to access privately owned hangars. Whether or not the forklift was stopped at the intersection is still under investigation. The truck then ran into a fire hydrant, flooding the crash scene.
Tiffany Ann Peterson was described as a “young, sweet, and loving person who adored her family and her cats,” according to Patricia S. Slyfeiner, who set up a GoFundMe page on behalf of the family.
The family’s attorney, Robert Bell, told the Independent that the family would not be commenting at this time.
David Baskett has been a figure of controversy at the airport, and was removed from his board committees months ago due to a “lack of confidence in his ability to represent the airport based on his past actions,” said Ignacio “Nash” Moreno, president of the Airport Board of Directors. These infractions included Brown Act violations, untruthful reimbursement requests, and conducting unauthorized business, among others, Moreno said. He added that he was unsure if Baskett planned to step down from his airport board position in light of the accident.
Baskett is also an elected board member of the Santa Maria Joint High School Union District. Both boards say he was not acting in any official capacity during the incident.
While it is unclear why Baskett was driving the heavy-duty forklift, Moreno said it appeared that Baskett was moving items that used to be in his hangar.
Baskett was evicted from his hangar by the airport’s Board of Directors in November 2020. According to Airport District Counsel Joshua George, Baskett did not vacate the hangar, resulting in an unlawful detainer action and judgment by the Airport District in August 2021. In response, Baskett has “filed multiple lawsuits against the airport and other board members,” added George. The litigation is still pending.