Slush Pile: Workers couldn't stop chipper

2007 Slush Pile

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Workers couldn't stop chipper

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

Workers couldn't stop chipper Victim's brother blames carelessness, faulty equipment in fatality By ERIN RICHARDS erichards@journalsentinel.com Posted: Aug. 16, 2006

The brother of a man killed when he was pulled through a wood chipper said Wednesday that carelessness and faulty equipment were to blame for the tragic accident.

Jeremiah Sanders, owner of J's Quality Tree Service, was pulled into a large industrial wood chipper Tuesday afternoon in Pleasant Prairie when he attempted to free a log jammed in the machine. Pleasant Prairie police spokesman Pete Jung said Sanders was pulled all the way through the chipper while co-workers tried unsuccessfully to stop the machine.

James Bennett, who had hired Sanders to clear branches out of his backyard in the 8900 block of 26th Ave. and witnessed the entire accident, said he couldn't believe how fast it happened.

"Shut it off! Shut it off!" the 81-year-old had yelled when he saw the machine grab Sanders' foot.

But, he said, the ordeal was over 20 seconds later.

Randolph Sanders said his brother's 21-year-old nephew was one of five crewmen trying to stop the machine. The nephew told him that the safety bar that is supposed to reverse the chipper's teeth failed to engage.

"There's almost eight feet of bar there to grab," Randolph Sanders said. "Jeremiah and his nephew were both pushing on the bar at one point, but it wouldn't reverse."

Sanders said his brother had just gone into business on his own last year and was using borrowed, unfamiliar equipment.

Jeremiah Sanders was the youngest son in a family of 11 brothers and sisters, all of whom live in Kenosha, his brother said. The avid duck and goose hunter had two daughters, ages 4 and 7, and another child on the way.

Sanders said that, especially for the sake of the children, he had reminded his brother often to be safer around wood chippers.

"It was stupid of him to put his foot in there, but the machine shouldn't have been there, either," Randolph Sanders said, adding that he hopes the accident compels someone to enforce yearly inspections of such equipment.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration officials would only say they were still investigating the accident, but another local tree serviceman said newer chippers, such as the one approved for 15-inch-diameter logs that Sanders was operating, are relatively safe because feed rollers can be quickly reversed.

Jeff Michaud, who runs Reliable Tree Service in Kenosha County, also said Sanders wasn't doing anything others in the tree service industry haven't done while on the job.

"If someone in this business says they haven't used their foot to free a log, they'd be lying," Michaud said.

Submitted on 03/12/2007

Submitted by: Anonymous
Reference: erichards@journalsentinel.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

Bruce said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
Thanks, but we have an almost identical story that won a DA back in 2000. Wood chipper accidents seem to be getting more common. Here's the submission that won the DA: http://darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin2000-10.html

James said:
Definitely Toss: Repeat
We have this already a gazillion times from when it first came out! Here's the url from the archives: http://darwinawards.com/reject/200608/pending20060817-092653.html

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2007 Slush Pile

Workers couldn't stop chipper

2007 Reader Submission Pending Acceptance

>> The Darwin Awards, by Wendy Northcutt << Link to Fight Evil.

2007 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

>> The Darwin Awards, by Wendy Northcutt <<
Link to Fight Evil.