Lift operator electrocuted, son hurt
The operator of an aerial lift was electrocuted and his son was injured while trying to rescue him October 1, 2021, in Melbourne Beach, Florida.
The man was in the bucket of a lift working for a tree-trimming service when he accidentally made contact with an electric line while trimming trees behind a residence.
Deputies said the worker’s teenage son was injured while trying to help his injured father, but it was unclear if he was also working for the tree service or why he was there.
The father was pronounced dead at the scene, and his son was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to a WFTV Channel 9 report.
Operator killed in chipper
A chipper operator died October 18, 2021, in West Bloomfield, Michigan, reportedly after a gauntlet-style glove or the jacket he was wearing snagged on a branch and he was pulled partway into the machine.
The man, 48, was part of a crew working at a private residence, but nobody witnessed the incident. Police were called after one of the man’s co-workers found him in the chipper intake.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and were able to perform first aid on the man – who was still conscious – but the man died on the way to the hospital, according to an mlive.com report.
While a published mlive.com report said the man’s jacket caught on a branch, a report directly to TCIA staff by someone familiar with details of the incident said it was the man’s glove that snagged the branch, and that the man was pulled far enough into the chute to cause serious head injury.
Climber killed in fall
A climber died after falling from a tree he was working on October 20, 2021, in Orinda, California.
Fire-department personnel responded to a call for a person who fell from an elevated position while trimming a tall tree. The victim was declared dead at the scene. It was unclear what caused the fall, according to a KTVU Fox 2 report. However, news video showed dead and decayed tree parts, indicating the incident may have involved a tree failure.
Lift operator electrocuted, co-worker injured
A lift operator was electrocuted and a co-worker injured while trimming trees October 26, 2021, in Abilene, Texas.
Alan James Maxey, 31, was killed and a 24-year-old male was injured while working for a local tree-trimming company at a home. The 24-year-old, who was not identified, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
First responders were on scene for more than an hour before they were able to reach Maxey’s body, which was trapped at the top of a lift surrounded by live power lines, according to a KTAB/KRBC/Telemundo Abilene report.
Worker struck and injured by runaway truck
A man was run over and injured by a truck that was towing a wood chipper October 27, 2021, in Cecil Township, Pennsylvania.
The truck either lost its brakes or the driver lost control and struck a man who was standing in front of a stump grinder, trapping him between the truck and the stump grinder. The victim was taken to the hospital with a leg injury, according to a WPXI-TV Channel 11 News report.
Submitted by Douglas Bozich, owner of a tree service in Pittsburgh, Penn..
Operator rescued after crane topples
It took emergency crews about an hour to free a crane operator from the cab of the machine after the crane toppled onto two homes while crews were performing tree work October 28, 2021, in Worcester, Massachusetts.
The crane was being used to cut or remove trees before it toppled over onto the first home, taking down several trees before the boom landed on the roof of a neighboring house.
The crane operator was trapped inside the cab of the crane for approximately one hour before crews were able to cut him out of the machine. He suffered minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital.
It was possible that soft, wet ground gave way under the weight of the crane, causing the crash, according to a WHDH TV 7 News report.
