Another fatalilty.

Mark Chisholm

Mark Chisholm

Administrator
Administrator
Location
Home of the New Jersey Devils
Peter Gerstenberger of the TCIA emailed this today:

May 05, 2005
Gruesome end for man killed in wood chipper

By Michael Randall
Times Herald-Record
mrandall@th-record.com

New Windsor – An immigrant from Guatemala working for a tree-cutting service was sucked into a wood chipper and killed yesterday.
The accident happened just after 11 a.m. behind a home on Park Road in the Beaver Dam Lake section of New Windsor.
Police identified the victim as Julio Hernandez, 42, of Highland Mills, an employee of Timber Care Tree Service, based in Campbell Hall.
Supervisor George Meyers said the owner of the tree service and Hernandez were clearing land behind the home. The owner was up in a tree chopping off limbs and dropping them to Hernandez below, who was putting them into a commercial wood chipper.
When the owner heard the wood chipper stop operating, he climbed down to investigate.
He found a gruesome scene – one of Hernandez's hands was sticking out of the machine.
"His whole body got stuck in the machine," Meyers said.
The owner called for help and police, Mobile Life Support Services and the Salisbury Mills Fire Department all responded, but authorities said there was nothing they could have done.
"It was an instant death," said Orange County Coroner Kevin Quigley, who pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Police Chief Michael Biasotti said the owner didn't see exactly what happened and there were no other witnesses. Quigley said Hernandez "could have been dragged in by the branches," but there was no way to tell for certain. Officials said there was some indication that Hernandez went in feet first, but that could not be confirmed.
The tree service's owner, whose name could not be learned last night, was "devastated" by Hernandez's death, Biasotti said.
Hernandez had a wife and several children, most of whom are believed to be living in Guatemala. A town police detective last night was trying to locate one of Hernandez's sons, who lives somewhere in Rockland County.
 
[not funny at all mode] What about going trough the chip-pile to search for remains of the person? Thats a nasty job you have to get used to. It looks so easy and clinical at 'crime scene investigation'[/end mode]

I once lost a cellphone in a chipper and could only recover a small piece of a print (like 4x4 millimeters) all other parts where ?????? never found any more of it.

I wonder what type of chipper was involved and how the safety items where on it? (did it had the intake control bar all around the feeding, did it work at all, was it a old chipper with outdated safety specs, new chipper produced to last standards on safety and bad maintanance? mmm, questions that come to mind...)

a tragic and nasty to imagine accident.

Rgrds Ronald
 
Can we open an account for people that are left behind after these tragic incidents.
How will those folks in this case in Guatemala cope with the loss of their loved one and probably their one and only reasonable source of income.

Man, I am typing this with the worst feeling in my stomache since a very long time.
 
I would be very willing to send some $$ if there is a fund set up for this poor guy and his family. I would hate to think that there would be no aid just because he was from Guatamala. It would be very nice if we could set up a general fund for such tragic events.
 
What would you call the fund? The dumb arse went feet first which means he must have been kicking a clog into the chipper. Lets call it the stupid arse fund.
 
Thats not neccasarily true, He could have been pulled in by a branch that he fed in backwards and got caught by a lateral branch, which pulled him in. Whatever happened the man is dead and a family is without a father, its a shotty situation no matter what.
 
[ QUOTE ]
That's harsh, I feel for his children

[/ QUOTE ]

What harsh? Do you NOT want him to rest in peace? /forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
That's harsh, I feel for his children

[/ QUOTE ]

What harsh? Do you NOT want him to rest in peace? /forum/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

MB

I think he was refering to the incident itself, not to your comment about it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
What would you call the fund? The dumb arse went feet first which means he must have been kicking a clog into the chipper. Lets call it the stupid arse fund.

[/ QUOTE ]

Mark got the news item from Peter Gerstenberger at TCIA. I received the same email and Peter made some prefatory comments:

"I hope you may be able to use this – in fact I implore you to use this - as a lesson for your crews and other colleagues in the industry. In my role in TCIA, I tend to attract reports such as this one like a lightning rod. I pass this particular one along to you because it is so typical. For the record, TCIA has no record of this company – they’re not members, they’re not even on our mailing list.



Here’s what I see as very typical in this accident:

The victim is Mexican or Central American, probably doesn’t speak English and comes from a culture with vastly different attitudes about worker safety and employer-employee relationships. That sets the stage.
The victim is typically very inexperienced and without much training or indoctrination, is stuck on the lowliest of jobs on the crew – chipping. I’m reading a lot into this particular accident but in others this has been evident. What could the victim have been doing to go into a chipper feet first, and what does that say about his training?
At the time of the accident, the victim is working alone. So alone, in fact, that nobody sees what happened.
The accident has devastating impact reaching far beyond the victim. There are the wife and children who presumably loved this person and counted on his ability to provide for his family. There is the owner who will anguish over the accident the rest of his life, there is (was?) a business that will never be the same, and there is an industry that must bear some of the consequences. "


It could be called The Stupid Arse Fund. Or it could be called: The Need For Proper Training Fund; The Lets Make Sure It Doesn't Happen Again Fund; The Don't Chip Alone Fund; or The Be Compassionate For Our Fellow Workers Fund.

Mahk
 
Guys
A little common sense goes a long way, IN ANY LANGUAGE!!!! You have to be pretty careless or stupid to get sucked into the chipper! PERIOD!!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Well said.

[/ QUOTE ]

All the training in the world doesn't replace a little common sense. I go over chipper operation and safety with anybody chipping up brush for me first at the garage then on the job. How many times do you need to be told to see or get hit by a chunk of wood flying out the back of the chipper before you stand off the side. How many times do you need to trip on the brush that piles up at the end of the chip tray before you take a minute to rake it to the side. How many time do you need to be told when you leave the chipper to grab more brush to look up first not when your in the drop zone but before you leave the chipper. The list goes on and on.

John
 
Yes, common sense is not all that common anymore. Marhks point is not so much training but a work ethic. Most tree workers are hispanic and in there culture safety is low on the list, production is the most important aspect for them. In there countries there is very little training if you get hurt and can not work you better call a friend or family member to replace you. Cultural diversity is the first hurdle to overcome. Changing there work ethic and prioritizing safety in general is what needs to be done. A worker new to this country may not understand the value and importance of safety. They often think the company puts there production ahead of there safety and many companies do. Keeping workers same is more complex then just telling them not to put there hands and feet into a chipper.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Back
Top Bottom