Line clearance contractor killed

[Kevin]

http://reviewappeal.midsouthnews.com/news.ez?viewStory=22490

 

[RescueMan]

"...there was every indication that the employee had been operating a pole saw from the bucket near to where his body eventually landed...The bucket was some 15 feet below him...There are no burns. The bucket and everything is attached. It just fell.”

Can you make sense of this description? I can't figure out what the scene looked like or what happened.

- Robert

 

[Kevin]

Robert;
I'm guessing the hydraulics failed.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

Kevin,

I may be wrong here, but I don't think that the boom will fall if there is a hydraulic problem. Piston or connector problem, sure but probably not hydraulics.

 

[Mahk_Adams]

Robert;

This is pure guesswork on my part, based on what was said in the article.

Perhaps the boom failed, and, when this happened, the worker either jumped or was ejected into and then caught in the tree as the boom fell. The safety harness and lanyard, still connected to the worker who was caught in the tree, stopped the descent of the bucket about 15 feet below the worker.

For those who haven't read the link in the first post, this was not directly stated in the article. It is just what I have surmised based on the limited information that was given.

Mahk

 

[treegig]

We had a bucket drop on a job when a hydraulic hose was cut. Luckily, the operator was low to the ground already and had only a 10 foot drop. Scary. The hose was cut by a new rack installed over the cab, when the operator moved the boom from one side to the other the edge of the rack cut one of the hoses. We have since removed the rack and considered ourselves fortunate.

 

[Mark Chisholm]

So, if the boom looses hydraulic pressure it will free-fall?

 

[okietreedude1]

it must depend on the truck. Ive had 2 lines break while in use and ive seen a couple others. None of the trucks moved an inch. it almost sounds like a problem in the cylinder.

 

[tod_k]

We have had several hoses fail on our lift trucks, the boom never moved.

 

[Kevin]

Not likely a hose unless a safety valve was bypassed.
More likely a piston or something major.

 

[BLUE_FIN]

almost sounds like he tried to abort when the boom was falling and his lanyard ended up getting him in the end?. maybe he got to the tree and with the boom still falling and being tied to boom it wedged him in the crotch and crushed him or it tore his spine and everything inside him up. just a theory based on the stories being told. more often than not a bucket is only as safe as the owners ability to adhere to proper maintenance and inspections. when a bucket truck fails it usually had some help in doing so by the operator or owner. too many people and companys are willing to spend the money to buy the truck but are not willing or do not have the money to maintain them.

 

[Daniel_Kraus]

Maybe he climbed onto the tree to reach a branch he could not reach from the bucket. The branch then fell on his up-down lever.

 

[Riggs]

sounds like the check valve failed . A guy around here was tossed from a broken boom because the cable snapped. The upper boom can only fail if the cylinders fail or the 3 pins fail, unless it was a cable unit. That is a problem with the harness it is behind your back so if you do get jammed up it would be hard to cut your line.I'd like to know the year and model of bucket.