A tree trimmer died Tuesday after being pulled into a wood chipper in Menlo Park, California, authorities say.
Officers in Menlo Park, which is in the San Francisco Bay Area, were called on the report of a worker falling into a chipper at 12:53 p.m., the police department said. Police said the man was dead from his injuries when officers arrived.
Cal/OSHA is investigating the incident.
The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office said it could not release the identity or age of the worker pending notification of next of kin.
From The New York Post:
A California tree trimmer died Tuesday after falling into a wood chipper, authorities said.
The man, whose name was not released, was working on a property in the city of Menlo Park when he fell shortly before 1 p.m., police said.
“When police units arrived on scene, a male subject was found deceased from injuries sustained from the incident,” the statement read.
Video of the scene shows police and firefighters in a shaded area with a yellow tarp covering part of the wood chipper.
The incident is under investigation by the California division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA).
Agency officials said the worker was an employee of S.P. McClenahan, a part of Bartlett Tree Experts, KTVU reported.
Local residents said they were shaken by the sudden tragedy.
“We all feel sick and sad,” neighbor Lisa Mitchell told KGO.
“We’re really sad. We’re trying to imagine what the poor family and their fellow workers are feeling. And it’s just, it’s a lot. We just feel terrible.”
