OCEAN RIDGE, Fla. (WPTV) – A landscaper in Florida was killed when he was pulled into a woodchipper Tuesday morning.
Officials in Ocean Ridge said a contracted vendor was hired to trim the trees around the police station and town hall.
One of the workers was pulled into the woodchipper headfirst.
Ocean Ridge Town Manager Lynne Ladner said the accident happened within 30 minutes of the landscaper starting the job.
“Other members of the crew saw it happening, is my understanding, and immediately began responding as did our staff and officers,” Ladner said.
Cary Porter, the owner of Boynton Beach Tree Service, said the job comes with high risks.
Neither Porter nor his company were associated with this accident, but he explained how forceful woodchippers are.
“I haven’t used chippers in over two years. If someone happens to hang onto a branch that’s being sucked into the chipper and they don’t let go, it pulls them right into the chipper,” Porter said. “One mistake can take your life just like this, and it’s a shame.”
Ladner said no one else was hurt in the accident, and the man’s family will be notified in Mexico.
“It is a horrible loss of life,” she said.
The accident will be investigated by OSHA.
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