Forada Man Seriously Injured in Tree Trimming Fall

SirTreeRat

SirTreeRat

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In the Mitten...
8-22-2009 Injury

Forada Man Seriously Injured in Tree Trimming Fall

ALEXANDRIA, MN -- A Forada man is in critical condition after falling 40 feet while trimming trees Saturday morning. Here’s what happened, according to a preliminary report filed at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office: Joe Steinhagen was working from a scissor platform near Kluver Addition Road SE, Alexandria. Another worker, Terry Pavek, also of Forada, was operating the equipment to raise the platform when Steinhagen shifted his weight. The equipment, which was on a slope, overturned and Steinhagen, was thrown off. He was taken to the Douglas County Hospital and later air-lifted to the Hennepin County Medical Center. As of Wednesday afternoon, Steinhagen remained hospitalized in critical condition. The incident happened shortly after 10 a.m.
 
No doubt they were pushing the angle on that slope. That would be an aweful feeling the millisecond the platform started to go over. I hope he had his cover on.

If I never work from a lift again for the rest of my life, that will be fine with me.
 
It's always dishearting to hear of an accident; although this kinda sounds like a simple matter of working in the wrong place with the wrong equipment. 'course I wasn't there, so I guess I'm being a bit judgemental - sorry for that.

Scissor platforms unnerve me just to look at them. Anything that narrow without outriggers just looks .....ummmm.... turnoverable (new word).
 
It would seem like a simple thing to have a sensor that accounts for out-of-level or center of gravity off center conditions that would shut down the movement before tipping.
 
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It would seem like a simple thing to have a sensor that accounts for out-of-level or center of gravity off center conditions that would shut down the movement before tipping.

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I've used one (not for trees) that had exactly that kind of interlock. Maybe they defeated it somehow.
 
I had a 60 foot snorkel lift extended straight up at the base of a 70 foot palm once. I was standing on the railing with my flip line around the tree to get the reach I needed to cut the fronds.YES I KNOW THAT IS REALLY DUMB but thats how I rolled at the time. As I was trimming, one of the wheels sunk a couple of inches in the wet soil. the basket slowly started to drift away from the tree and I thought I was going to be stranded in the tree with no rope or spikes.
It cantered about a foot or so away and stopped but the warning indicator was set off leaving the upper controls useless. I stayed like that for a long time before someone came and switched the controls to the ground and helped me out of my predicament.

damn i forgot about that untill now.
I have 2 other snorkel lift (awakening) stories but Ill save them.
 
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I think all scissor lifts that I've seen are for hardened surfaces only. No slopes either.

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That's what I thought, I would like to see pics of the lift in question here.
 
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