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In the past three days, there have been two tree-related deaths in NJ alone. Below is the article describing one that I copied from the Asbury Park Press:
Man dies in wood chipper accident: Legs pulled into machine
Published in the Asbury Park Press 6/15/03
By RODNEY POINT-DU-JOUR
STAFF WRITER
ALLENHURST -- A landscaper was killed yesterday morning when he was pulled into an industrial wood chipper.
Rigoberto Martinez, 20, of Long Branch, was putting branches into the machine at a home on Cedar Avenue when one of the branches got stuck, First Assistant Prosecutor Robert Honecker said.
Martinez kicked the branch to get it into the chipper, but somehow his right foot ended up in the machine, Honecker said. Eventually, his left leg also was pulled in.
Martinez died at the scene, Honecker said.
"This was a horrible accident," Honecker said.
Police and first aiders were called to the scene by the homeowner, Victor Towil, at 10:42 a.m., Honecker said.
When they arrived, the chipper was turned off, but "unfortunately too late to save Mr. Martinez," Honecker said.
Authorities closed off a section of Cedar Avenue, between Richmond and Norwood avenues. Four co-workers of Martinez's sat on a curb and wept as they answered questions from detectives from the prosecutor's office. Nearby, investigators worked around the scene of the accident.
Martinez, a Mexican immigrant, worked for MJR Tree Service in Long Branch. His brother Isdora Martinez was with him when the accident happened, Honecker said.
Martinez's cousin and roommate Marcellino Martinez is the owner of the landscaping company, Honecker said.
Honecker said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will inspect the wood chipper to see if the machine had a malfunction, and the Monmouth County medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the official cause of Martinez's death.
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The second accident happened two days earlier. My father, Steve, was called out to inspect the scene with the NJ OSHA rep. He said that the company was a landscape company that started doing tree work recently. They have a bucket truck, vermeer 1800 chipper, chip truck and tractor-all new. Hard to believe that they just started when looking at their equipment.
At any rate, there was a worker chipping brush from a removal that had a trunk still standing. Two coworkers started to cut the trunk down. When they pushed the trunk over using a tractor, it went in a different direction than planned and struck the man chipping. The trunk weighed more than 2500 lbs.
After investigating, it appears that the worker was obviously too close and unaware that the trunk was being felled. Furthermore, the man cutting the tree never used a face-cut. When the tractor applied pressure, the trunk went off course. As our Buzz Board member Kevin once said "..no hinge equals no control".
The worker that was struck is a mexican employee who is not expected to live (as I was told on Fri. eve).
Two horrific accidents that should never have happened.
Man dies in wood chipper accident: Legs pulled into machine
Published in the Asbury Park Press 6/15/03
By RODNEY POINT-DU-JOUR
STAFF WRITER
ALLENHURST -- A landscaper was killed yesterday morning when he was pulled into an industrial wood chipper.
Rigoberto Martinez, 20, of Long Branch, was putting branches into the machine at a home on Cedar Avenue when one of the branches got stuck, First Assistant Prosecutor Robert Honecker said.
Martinez kicked the branch to get it into the chipper, but somehow his right foot ended up in the machine, Honecker said. Eventually, his left leg also was pulled in.
Martinez died at the scene, Honecker said.
"This was a horrible accident," Honecker said.
Police and first aiders were called to the scene by the homeowner, Victor Towil, at 10:42 a.m., Honecker said.
When they arrived, the chipper was turned off, but "unfortunately too late to save Mr. Martinez," Honecker said.
Authorities closed off a section of Cedar Avenue, between Richmond and Norwood avenues. Four co-workers of Martinez's sat on a curb and wept as they answered questions from detectives from the prosecutor's office. Nearby, investigators worked around the scene of the accident.
Martinez, a Mexican immigrant, worked for MJR Tree Service in Long Branch. His brother Isdora Martinez was with him when the accident happened, Honecker said.
Martinez's cousin and roommate Marcellino Martinez is the owner of the landscaping company, Honecker said.
Honecker said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will inspect the wood chipper to see if the machine had a malfunction, and the Monmouth County medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the official cause of Martinez's death.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The second accident happened two days earlier. My father, Steve, was called out to inspect the scene with the NJ OSHA rep. He said that the company was a landscape company that started doing tree work recently. They have a bucket truck, vermeer 1800 chipper, chip truck and tractor-all new. Hard to believe that they just started when looking at their equipment.
At any rate, there was a worker chipping brush from a removal that had a trunk still standing. Two coworkers started to cut the trunk down. When they pushed the trunk over using a tractor, it went in a different direction than planned and struck the man chipping. The trunk weighed more than 2500 lbs.
After investigating, it appears that the worker was obviously too close and unaware that the trunk was being felled. Furthermore, the man cutting the tree never used a face-cut. When the tractor applied pressure, the trunk went off course. As our Buzz Board member Kevin once said "..no hinge equals no control".
The worker that was struck is a mexican employee who is not expected to live (as I was told on Fri. eve).
Two horrific accidents that should never have happened.
