"Former Employee Claims 'The Day I Flooded Rivian And Cost Them Half A Million' Before Hitting Post | Carscoops"

      A viral TikTok showcases a forklift accident at Rivian's factory that halted production and inflicted significant damage.

      In the footage, water can be seen gushing out after a forklift collided with a pipe at the Rivian facility. An ex-employee claims this incident resulted in damages exceeding $457,000.

      The worker allegedly shared details of the occurrence on TikTok and was terminated months later.

      Rivian's ambitious plans faced an unforeseen setback when their factory in Normal, Illinois, reportedly experienced a flooding incident. A few months back, production was abruptly stopped after a forklift operator struck an overhead water pipe, leading to water flooding the area.

      In the TikTok video, said to be posted by the driver, he claimed that he was under the influence and had been listening to music through his headphones during the incident.

      The video depicts him reversing the forklift down the line, unaware that the height of the forklift was too great and that the bright red water pipe was positioned too low. The forklift's top can be seen colliding with the water pipe, splitting it in half and causing water to gush into the factory.

      According to the operator, who goes by the username “deryiooo” on TikTok, work on the line was halted as other employees were tasked with cleaning up the spill. Although he no longer works at Rivian, he stated he was not immediately dismissed for the accident and only needed to file an incident report.

      While he was not fired right away, he mentioned that several months later, he did lose his job at Rivian. Around the same time, he received a letter informing him that the incident had caused $457,345 in damages.

      Carscoops has contacted Rivian for more details regarding the occurrence and its timing. Some commenters online have suggested it took place in the factory’s battery section and that comparable incidents had happened at least twice before. According to these unverified claims, the forklift operator might have hit the overhead water pipes on two or possibly three prior occasions.