Worker Dies In Michigan After Being Pulled Into Wood Chipper By His Jacket

A 48-year-old man has died after he was sucked into a wood chipper while working at a private residence in Michigan.

Police believe the man was accidentally pulled into the wood chipper after his jacket got caught on a tree branch being fed into the machine while he was working outside a house in West Bloomfield, reported the New York Post.

West Bloomfield Police Department received a 911 call Monday from a worker at the residence about a coworker found inside a wood chipper. Officers who responded to the scene provided first aid to the victim who was still conscious at that time. They also applied a tourniquet to an unknown body part. However, the man succumbed to death while he was being transported to a nearby hospital, police said as per MLive.

The man was one of the three workers at the site. Investigators have not revealed his identity and the company he worked for.

"Every indication at this point is that his jacket may have been caught on a branch that was being fed into the wood chipper," Deputy Chief Curt Lawson said as per Denver Gazette.

Though the police believe the death was accidental, they are also investigating if the machine functioned properly before the incident happened. As part of the probe, the police interviewed everyone who was at the scene and took pictures of the machine. The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating the case.

According to a report posted on the website of Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, 74 work-related fatalities were listed in 2020 alone. Meanwhile, this particular case is the 33rd one this year.

In August, a 37-year-old man died in Brazil after being sucked into a meat mincer while he was repairing it. Rodrigo Roa Alvarez, who had more than 10 years of experience as a mechanic, was reportedly making final adjustments to the machine and videotaping its activity when the horrific accident took place. Eager to get a better view, Alvarez climbed on top of the platform. However, he slipped and fell into the machine. Though paramedics rushed to the scene, Alvarez could not be rescued.