I asked a coworker to finish unloading an HVAC truck. He forgot, thousands of dollars of equipment got driven away, and now he’s throwing me under the bus. How do I defend myself?

Hey guys, I'm so pissed right now and need advice. I work at an HVAC warehouse. Friday afternoon, I was unloading a massive delivery. Right near the end, the manager called me to the office for some urgent paperwork.

I asked my coworker to grab the last two pallets of compressors left in the truck with the forklift. He literally looked at me and said, "Don't worry man, I got it."

Well, he didn't. He just clocked out and went home. The driver assumed we were done, locked the trailer, and drove hours away for his next route.

Monday morning hits and the boss is furious because we're missing $8k worth of equipment for a big job. When the boss confronted us, my coworker looked him dead in the eye and lied. He said I never asked him to finish the truck and threw me completely under the bus.

It's my word against his and there are no cameras pointing directly into the back of the truck. How do I defend myself to management without just sounding like I'm making excuses? I can't even look at this guy right now.