It happened at Dean's Towing on Erwin Road.
Investigators said it appears the forklift and an operator were on the back of a flatbed truck and the forklift may have backed off the side of the truck.
The operator fell and then the forklift's back tire ran off the flatbed truck and overturned on him.
Authorities have identified the victim as Benjamin Tripp, 35, of Dunn. Tripp was the forklift operator.
The North Carolina Department of Labor and OSHA were on the scene.