Mom speaks out after forklift kills her 15-year-old son

NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) – A 15-year-old died Sunday afternoon by an overturned forklift, said Metro police.

According to officials, Jayden Dalton, of Nashville, died when a forklift that he was allegedly playing on/operating overturned on top of him in a lot of an equipment rental business located on 505 Davidson Street.

Police said Dalton and another teen allegedly started the engines to machinery on the lot. A witness reported that Jayden was doing donuts on the forklift when it overturned.

News4 spoke to Dalton’s mother, Latasha, on Monday. She described her son as a creative, fun big brother who loved looking after his siblings.

“People would think that I had him trained like that, but that was him. That’s how he was. He cared about his siblings,” Latasha Dalton said. “[Jaden had] a very big personality. He loved to rap, dance, anything. You name it.”

Dalton’s family believes Jaden and his friends got into the back of Equipment Finders, Inc. by jumping over a barricade. Latasha remembered getting a phone call from the night of the accident and learning that Jaden had died after “donuts” on the forklift.

“I just broke down in tears, and I couldn’t take it in. It was too hard to swallow,” Latasha Dalton said. “People are [driving by] honking today, saying sorry for your loss, but that ain’t bringing him back. I mean, he was a good child, and I mean everybody loved him.”

Dalton’s family has set up a GoFundMe to help buy Jaden a headstone, among other funeral costs. If you’d like to give, visit this link.

Metro police classified his death as accidental. Maplewood High school, Jayden’s former school, sent out this statement:

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