Tree cutter dies after fall into wood chipper
Matthew Kruk
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Tree cutter dies after fall into wood chipper
Doris Sun
Vancouver Sun
July 16, 2005
A routine tree-cutting job for three private contractors outside a busy Richmond
plaza turned tragic Friday when one of the workers was killed in the wood
chipper.
The victim, a 40-year-old Vancouver man, was working outside Union Square plaza
at 8388 Capstan Way.
Richmond RCMP Sgt. Ron Paysen said the man was feeding tree branches into the
chipper while his two colleagues were in a tree cutting branches.
"The two people in the tree looked down to see that their friend wasn't around
and that the machine had stalled, so they immediately came down and found what
was in the machine was just a pair of boots ..."
RCMP, the Workers' Compensation Board and the coroner's office were at the
scene. A ladder was leaning against the truck containing wood chips, and
investigators dressed in hooded body suits, boots and masks attempted to recover
body parts.
Paysen said RCMP and the WCB were investigating.
James Ho, an employee of Rever L'image Salon, whose window overlooks the tree,
said he saw the man's colleagues crying.
"My female co-worker actually fainted when she heard what happened," said Ho.
"She was shocked."
RCMP will not release the man's name until his family is notified.
It was the third industrial death in recent weeks in the Lower Mainland. On
Wednesday a 59-year-old Langley man was killed when a cement mixer was
accidentally turned on while he was in it. A 43-year-old Vancouver man died June
23 after being struck by a wrecking ball at a False Creek construction site.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005
MWB
Twilight Zone, Vancouver.
Mark
Matthew Kruk
>
> Twilight Zone, Vancouver.
>
> Mark
Fargo.
Hoodoo
> This is just too bizarre to believe:
> Tree cutter dies after fall into wood chipper
> Richmond RCMP Sgt. Ron Paysen said the man was feeding tree branches into the
> chipper while his two colleagues were in a tree cutting branches.
With your introduction to the article, the article's subject
heading, and the scene-setting details immediately above, I was
expecting something really wacko.
Like an arborist in a 'cherry-picker' completing some aerial
work, I was let down.
--
It's a big old goofy world. - John Prine