Menlo Park tree trimmer dies after being 'pulled into the chipper' in horrific accident
MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA: A tree trimmer lost his life after a horrific accident. The identity of the victim is not known yet but it has been said that he was working on the 900 block of Peggy Lane in Menlo Park on Tuesday afternoon, October 11, when the tragedy struck.
At around 12:53 pm the incident was reported to law enforcement officials, who reached the location to find the worker of FA Bartlett Tree Expert Company dead. People living in the area said that it’s common to see tree trimming activity in the neighborhood but not such a grisly accident.
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California Division of Occupational Safety and Health citing “the outside source” revealed that “the employee was pulled into the chipper during tree trimming operations.” A local named Lisa Mitchell said, “We all feel sick and sad. 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.”
Speaking of the company, where the victim was employed, Mitchell noted that it was well-known in the area. She said, “We see a lot of their trucks. So, I can only imagine what they're feeling, because I'm sure they treat their employees like family and it's just, it's awful,” before adding, “You hear about the possibilities of horrific things happening, but don't really know that they can. And today was clearly proof that they can.”
Another local resident Thanh Skinner mentioned that they were informed about the tree trimming, however, they never thought it would end up in death. Skinner stated, “It's generally very peaceful, quiet, you don't really see any activity. So, when I came home around 2:30 pm, the street was completely blocked off. And so we thought maybe something had happened to one of our neighbors.”
CBS News reported that the case is being probed by Cal/OSHA Division of Occupational Safety and Health and the department has “up to six month to determine if there was a safety issue at the work site and to issue any citations.”
This mishap happened months after a teenage boy from Pennsylvania succumbed to his “multiple traumatic injuries” at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township after getting “partly pulled into a commercial wood chipper,” the Lehigh County Coroner's Office mentioned in a press release. Isiah M Bedocs, who was studying at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, died in August while reportedly working for a company that specializes in tree removal. An unidentified neighbor had said at the time, “My heart just goes out to that poor family, just what that young man went through. What a horrible thing to have happen to someone so young.”
The 17-year-old boy’s institute also issued a statement after his death that read, “Our hearts are with his family members and friends as they grapple with this unimaginable tragedy.” It also added that students and staff members "who may be struggling in the wake of his death” will be provided with counselors’ help.
