Posted on 07/07/2005 2:18:10 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
TAMPA - A pile of wood chips 6 feet high was soaked with blood Wednesday afternoon after a Tampa construction worker died while clearing a lot on 127th Avenue. A black high-top tennis shoe, barely recognizable, rested atop the pile next to the wood chipper.
``A piece of wood got stuck, and he tried to clear it out,'' said 12-year-old Luis Santiago, a witness. ``But he got pulled in. He yelled, `Help me! Help me!' But the other worker couldn't turn the machine off in time.''
The man worked for James Hardman Construction. He is the fourth person in the Tampa area to die in recent years after being pulled into a wood chipper. Authorities did not release the man's name, but they said he was in his mid-40s and had worked for the company about a year.
``These kind of accidents are few and far between,'' Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman J.D. Callaway said. ``These are incredibly dangerous types of equipment. Usually what happens is something gets stuck, and the victim tries to clear it with his hand or foot, then they get pulled in.''
Such accidents create gruesome scenes that test the fortitude of seasoned deputies, Callaway said.
Several children witnessed the 3:15 p.m. accident. ``We thought it was red mulch at first,'' Stephanek Henry said. The 12-year-old girl ran into her grandmother's apartment screaming for help.
In a neighborhood hardened by crime and poverty, the death provided little more than a morbid distraction on an insufferably hot day. Crowds gathered in apartments across the street; some people drank beer.
Another group of neighbors looked on from the adjoining apartment complex. One man filmed the scene with his camcorder. People drove by with their car windows down and subwoofers pounding out rap music.
Children ate candy and watched as crime scene technicians tried to process the man's remains, still lodged in the mouth of the chipper.
``We'd like to think these kids are not totally desensitized to this,'' Callaway said. ``It's important for parents to talk to their kids after they've witnessed something like this.''
Stephanek's grandmother, Mary Walker, said she was not worried about the child. ``She's tough,'' the woman said. ``Nothing bothers her unless she thinks she's going to get a whooping.''
For 12-year-old Luis, the reality began to sink in about two hours after the accident as he sat on his bike and waited for his parents to come home. He said he planned to go to church Wednesday night.
``I don't ever want to be a construction worker,'' he said. ``It's too dangerous.''
Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 977-2854, Ext. 25.
gridlock wrote:
"When a guy with a handle like 1FASTGLOCK45 makes a cryptic statement like that, it gives one pause..."
--Hmmm Is that a compliment i'm lost hehehe.
I'm praying for your son as well.
Ever notice how the intake resembles a megaphone? I spent a few months running a "tree eater" in my youth. 35 years later, I still have ringing in my ears, and some hearing loss.
Yeah, Fargo.
Bad enough to see it in a movie. Very sad here.
Indeed it is sad. :-(
I am very glad I "fly" spacecraft for a living. The likelihood of a serious on-the-job injury is pretty remote.
Good picture. The chipper my employer owns is identical. The small bar that loops around the top of the feeder bin engages the drive into forward or reverse. Therefore there is never a need to reach into the unit. They may have been using an obsolete machine or the poor guy was never trained properly.
My guess: this guy was an illegal and thus not literate enough in English to read the warnings on the equipment.
Thank you for those details.
The site where I got the pictures has smaller ones, I suppose for rental purposes.
People must be extremely careful with these machines.
My guess: this guy was an illegal and thus not literate enough in English to read the warnings on the equipment.
What ever the cause the stupid construction workers are way out of line. A moment of inattention or distraction and a tragic accident happens. We are humans and fallibility is in our genes.
I should have said "stupid construction worker comments"
I agree. I myself am one of them. I despise how television shows always depict construction workers as idiots. It is a damn dangerous way to make a living.
These days the safety training is such that accidents are kept minimal, and in most cases the individual involved in an accident disregarded his/her training.
Motorvehicles, firearms and now woodchippers, all sources of horrific anecdotes. Don't be a hoplophobe, don't fear the machine, fear the person operating it. There are no accidents with a key in the ignition or a round chambered.
That said, I suppose we now know where Jimmy Hoffa went - up in smoke.
Hardly. I offer a story to highlight caution.
It's really a good idea to turn the machine off before trying to clear a jam.
This is a job for engineers. Four accidents? Put the mech-e's on the problem.
Thats my guess too. There has to be a reason that his name was not mentioned or anything about his family. Has to be illegal. We know the media drill here.
ping
Remember "Fargo".
idiot
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