Ronald Kratz

Ronald Kratz had every intention of carrying out his duties as a material handler for defense contractor BAE Systems in Sealy, Texas -- despite his weighing nearly 680 pounds. So when in 2009 the seatbelt on his forklift wouldn't extend long enough for him to buckle it, he asked his superiors for an extender. ...

It was the seatbelt extender that did him in. When Ronald Kratz alerted his superiors at a Houston-based plant run by BAE Systems that he was having trouble buckling the seatbelt of a forklift that he was operating, he suggested he use a seatbelt extender. ...