NC teenager killed in incident with wood chipper (C&P)

[kebo]

A young man was killed in a tragic incident happened in Gastonia, NC last weekend. I feel so bad for the boy's mom and the business owner.

There is a pic of him at the link:

Family speaks out after Gastonia teen pulled into wood chipper, - WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC


GASTON COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - A Gastonia man was pulled into a wood chipper and killed over the weekend, police say.
Officials believe 19-year-old Mason Scott Cox was attempting to kick a limb into the chipper when he got pulled in. The incident happened around 12:37 p.m. Saturday on Hawthorne Road in Kings Mountain.
The company, Crawford Tree Service out of Belmont, was cutting down trees in a yard. The Department of Labor and Kings Mountain Police are investigating. They say the death was accidental and no foul play is believed to be involved.



Cox was found inside the wood chipper and pronounced dead on scene, officials say.
Cox's family spoke to WBTV in an interview Monday morning. Cox's mother, Debra Sisk, said the teen had very limited experience in the tree removal industry, but had worked on cell towers before. She questions whether he was being supervised when the accident happened.



"It was his first day on this job. He was trying to find work and he had been putting in applications," Sisk explained.

She said she got the phone call about the accident Saturday afternoon and said it was horrifying to learn how her son had died.



"I just started screaming when I found out how he died. It's bad enough that's he's gone," she said.
Family members said they currently have no plans to contact the company Cox was working for. They said they aren't angry over the incident, but they would like to know how the accident happened.
"I loved him very much and I'm going to miss him very much," said Cox's mother.
Jon Crawford, owner of Crawford Tree Service, spoke to WBTV about the incident in an interview over the phone. He said Cox was working for him as a subcontractor Saturday, He said he still isn't sure how the accident happened.



"The limb must have grabbed a piece of his clothing and took him into the chipper," said Crawford.
The business owner said that the work site was safe and Cox wasn't performing any tasks too difficult for a beginner.


"I've been in the business for 26 years. I've had one other accident where a person was injured. Mason Cox was working side by side with two experienced employees," Crawford said.
He said the incident has left him filled with grief.



"I have not slept. I am sick from it," Crawford said. "I would trade places with that child right now."
He said his business is going to temporarily close because of the incident.
Copyright 2015 WBTV. All rights reserved.

 

[devildog1]

OMG what a terrible tragedy for the family, poor young man, death came far to soon.
DevilDog

 

[Industrial Toys]

I was considering getting a big commercial machine but this possibility is always in the back of my mind. I can hardly think of a more ghastly death!

There are safety bars that shut down or reverse the feed, but a person may be too panicked to operate them effectively.

It should almost be a two person operation. One feeding and the other operating the machine.

 

[4570Man]

I was considering getting a big commercial machine but this possibility is always in the back of my mind. I can hardly think of a more gastly death! There are safety bars that shut down or reverse the feed, but a person may be too panicked to operate them effectively. It should almost be a two person operation. One feeding and the other operating the machine.

Like any machine they have to be treated with respect. Your tractor or vehicle could just as easily kill you. It you don't do something stupid like kicking the branches in your chances of getting hurt are pretty slim. I'm not trying to make any less of this accident, because it truly was a terrible accident.

 

[oldpilgrim]

The last large machine I rented had a large bar that had to be pulled to activate the feed rollers. If you let go, the feeder stopped. I thought they were all like that.


I can't think of a More horrible way to die.

 

[4570Man]

I can't think of a More horrible way to die.

Fire.

 

[RandyT]

The last large machine I rented had a large bar that had to be pulled to activate the feed rollers. If you let go, the feeder stopped. I thought they were all like that.


I can't think of a More horrible way to die.

The one you ran may have been set up that way but the commercial units that I have been around detent in the feed position, and if you have a problem have to reach up and move the bar surrounding the chute. If this was one of the older self feeding drum chippers, there are no feed rollers, just directly into the knives. If that was the type of chipper they were using, the young man had about 1 to 2 seconds to see his life pass him bye. The old chippers would eat a limb about 20 feet long in about 2 seconds.

 

[Industrial Toys]

It would be interesting to know how many near misses there are with such machines. I am not an advocate of safety gadgets. In fact they drive me crazy. These machines (and I have used them) just strike me as an accident waiting to happen, if not by stupidity then by Murphy's law. Throw a rope into a tree to save your life, and it would never catch anything. Law it neatly on the ground and it becomes hopelessly tangled! That sort of thing. Maybe a branch caught the young lads boot laces!

Electroncs could make such a thing safer. Like wearing an RFID tag that engages a clutch/brake if the tag gets too close to the chute.

 

[motownbrowne]

The one you ran may have been set up that way but the commercial units that I have been around detent in the feed position, and if you have a problem have to reach up and move the bar surrounding the chute. If this was one of the older self feeding drum chippers, there are no feed rollers, just directly into the knives. If that was the type of chipper they were using, the young man had about 1 to 2 seconds to see his life pass him bye. The old chippers would eat a limb about 20 feet long in about 2 seconds.

I've worked around a few of these machines. All Vermeers. Two 1000 and one 1400 model with hydraulic feed rollers. These have a safety bar at the top and bottom of the feed chute. It's pretty easy to activate them accidentally, but I'd much rather have them err on the side of safety than the other way around. The last one, though was a 1600a model with a ford 300 power plant (which was cool because that's what was in my truck that I drove to work) that d#mned thing was terrifying. Probably the most dangerous piece of equipment I've ever used. No rollers, just a direct line of sight to the drum. The second a limb touched those knives it accelerated to at least 60 mph, was ripped from your hand (if you were dumb enough to be holding it), and chipped before you could blink. If you got caught on a limb, you'd better hope to God your clothes tore. Also, when dealing with long forked limbs, there was a very real risk of being knocked out cold as the branch flew into the chipper No safety devices whatsoever. I don't miss that job for a second.

 

[Mace Canute]

The one you ran may have been set up that way but the commercial units that I have been around detent in the feed position, and if you have a problem have to reach up and move the bar surrounding the chute. If this was one of the older self feeding drum chippers, there are no feed rollers, just directly into the knives. If that was the type of chipper they were using, the young man had about 1 to 2 seconds to see his life pass him bye. The old chippers would eat a limb about 20 feet long in about 2 seconds.

During my career as a Lineman I used one of those while tree trimming for line clearance and it was with no doubt the most dangerous piece of equipment I have ever used. Every branch (and some of those branches were like small trees) I threw in it was carefully scrutinized for anything that could hit me on the way in, grab my clothing, or hang up on the feed chute. Later it was changed out for a larger one with power feed rollers which was a heck of a lot nicer to use. I noticed a couple of guys on the crew were almost lackadaisical when using them even though they had been fully informed about the hazards and how to feed the beasts.