A TREE trimmer has died after he was brutally dragged headfirst into a wood chipper as colleagues watched in horror.
The man, who has not been identified, died at the scene after suffering devastating injuries in Ocean Ridge, Florida.
Terrified colleagues witnessed the worker getting pulled into the deadly machine headfirst all the way up to his shoulders.
He had been working for Carlton’s Tree Service and had only started work 30 minutes before the fatal tragedy.
Police arrived at the grim scene at around 9:30am, outside the Ocean Ridge Town Hall where the team had been working on trimming trees.
The Ocean Ridge Police Department reported that they arrived at the scene of the accident and discovered that one person had died from injuries sustained during the incident. Fortunately, no other individuals at the scene were injured.
“The OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health American Society] has been notified and is en route.”
The landscaping firm who employed the victim has confirmed that they will fund his funeral which will take place in Mexico, where he has family.
During a news conference, Town Manager Lynne Ladner informed reporters that a landscaper tragically lost his life after being decapitated by a wood chipper while trying to feed wood into the machine.
Ladner mentioned that the individual was working alone, engaged in tree trimming and operating the wood chipper at the time of the incident. She added that other crew members witnessed the tragic event unfolding.
Miss Ladner added that although there was an emergency switch on the wood shredder, the team could not react fast enough as the incident happened so quickly in front of them.
“It is a horrible loss of life,” she said.
Boynton Beach Tree Service owner Cary Porter said that the tree trimming job comes with high risks.
Neither Porter nor his company are involved with this tragedy, but he explained how powerful wood chippers can be.
“I haven’t used chippers in over two years. If someone happens to hang onto a branch that’s being sucked into the chipper and they don’t let go, it pulls them right into the chipper,” Porter said.
“One mistake can take your life just like this, and it’s a shame.”
The accident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health American Society.
