Logging death

[skew]

This happened a while back but...... A man in his mid 30s died when a co worker dropped a tree that struck his head. It was a Forest Service job that these guys were contractors. Some guys I know were in the Missionary Ridge burn harvesting house logs and noticed a chopper landing nearby. Both are ski patrollers and emts so they sprinted up to see what was on. They said the man had already gone- probably instantly. The contractors involved in the accident were clearing hazard trees from the roadway. One of my freinds up there said that the guys were so clueless they weren't even notching trees- just letting them fly. The owner of the outfit was the feller of the fatal tree. After the FS officials looked into it they just let the guy go back to work a couple of days later. I think that it is criminal that they hire this incompetent boob because he is low bidder, he kills a guy on his crew and they just let him carry on. The victim was from Mexico and had a wife and infant son. The Forest Service down here any way are out of hand and need to be censured . If you ask me, and no one has, one or more of those desk jockey super lifers should lose their jobs. Shouldn't they have been monitering the contractor to see that he new what he was doing? The witnesses that I spoke with said that he clearly did not.

 

[wildchild]

We had some guy fall in a chipper here last week but i didn`t know him .people don`t thank these dayz

 

[Jamin_Mayer]

Any other details? News paper article?

 

[skew]

August 17th www.durangoherald.com for the logging accident.

 

[wildchild]

I have it on news paper but no scanner

 

[wildchild]

I talked to one of his crew member`s and they said it was pretty bad took them 12 hours to clean it up and the chipper is no longer being used

 

[wildchild]

His name was todd rice age 34 died 24 of nov.

 

[Raven]

RIP Todd Rice, may the tragic nature of his death not go unnoticed.

 

[Mahk_Adams]

[ QUOTE ]
August 17th www.durangoherald.com for the logging accident.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which article?

 

[skew]

Mahk- I don't really know how to create a link to the article but I found it in the August 18th issue online.

 

[Mahk_Adams]

Found it--thanks

http://www.durangoherald.com/asp-bin/art...ews060818_4.htm

 

[fuelsguy1969]

Skew:
I can't speak to the supervision of the contract.
Those things can get messy, difficult and private enterprise would typically view the USFS telling them how to do 'their job' as time to call a congressman.

However, as a curiosity, it should be noted that as of a few years ago regional foresters are not held as accountable for deaths of contractors as they are for Government employees.

A regional forester, (Oregon and Washington are R-6 for the FS), is denied their step increase in pay if a FS employee dies in their region that year. Not the case for contractors.

I'm not aware of this policy having changed.

 

[No_Bivy]

The other guy must feel terrible for that. I wonder who made the mistake, the guy cutting or the guy in the zone?

 

[skew]

I suppose that's my point: That the contracting officer should have noted the unprofessional manner in whichthe job was proceeding and pulled the plug. Based on witness accounts.
oh, and Nobivy- it is also my understanding that there was a distinct lack of remorse on the cutter/owners part. He was back on the job within a couple of days.