Tree Trimmer Dragged Into Wood Chipper Dies In Horror Accident
A horrific accident has seen a tree trimmer being dragged into a wood chipper and killed in front of his wife. Richard A. Risinger, 54, was dragged to his death when his jacket became caught in the heavy machinery as he was loading tree limbs.
The incident happened during a routine job at Belleville, Illinois on Friday morning. Police officers were called to the scene but he was “obviously deceased.”
According to the Alton Telegraph, Detective Mark Hefferman of the Belleville Police Department said: “There was a resident in that block that had hired a tree service to do some work on the property. [Mr Risinger] was part of the crew working on the property. We believe he was feeding a branch into the apparatus, and something caused him to become entangled, and he was pulled in.”
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There were five or six crew members working with him, including his wife, who had witnessed the horrifying freak accident. A spokesman for the St. Clair County Coroner’s Office said Risinger was pronounced dead at the scene and had suffered massive trauma.
“Evidently, part of his jacket or coat got tangled up and dragged him in head-first,” the coroner's spokesman announced.
Detective Hefferman said the accident was reported to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
An investigation into the accident has been launched by OSHA.
“We believe this to be a tragic accident,” said Heffernan. “This was such a traumatic and sudden incident. Out of respect to the family, I don't want to release any more details.”
