Man Falls Into Wood Chipper— Headfirst

He's decapitated in front of his sons
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2014 8:42 AM CDT
Man Falls Into Wood Chipper— Head-First
Stock image of a wood chipper   (Shutterstock)

Another entry in the "No Worse Way to Go" file: An Arizona landscape worker was killed on Thursday after tripping and falling into a wood chipper—headfirst. Chandler officials confirm that the unidentified man was decapitated. KTVK reports that he was part of a Phoenix Trim-a-Tree landscaping crew working outside a car dealership that morning; two of the man's sons were also on the crew and witnessed his death.

It's unclear how the man tripped, but investigators are looking into what's being called a tragic accident. "It's the type of wood chipper where the chute end actually will push the debris into the back of the truck so it can handle large branches," says a detective. "It's extremely powerful." The Arizona Republic notes this sad detail from the scene: "A straw hat lay on the ground next to the wood chipper." (A landscape worker suffered a similarly horrible fate in Florida in June.)

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