Accident Report Detail
Accident Summary Nr: 118325.015 - Employee is struck by tree and incurs paralysis and fracture
Inspection Nr | Date Opened | SIC | NAICS | Establishment Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
1418197.015 | 07/25/2019 | 517110 | Wood County Telephone Company |
Abstract: At approximately 4:45 p.m. on July 20, 2019, an employee and a coworker were removing tree brushes that had fallen onto pole-mounted coax cable for a telecommunications company clearing tree limbs and downed trees from pole-mounted coaxial cable following a severe weather event. The weather produced straight lines of approximately 90 mph that blew down trees and tree limbs throughout the city. The employee was using a chainsaw to remove tree branches from the canopy of a tree that had fallen onto the coax cable. The coworker was acting as a spotter and helper for the employee. The employee cut a branch that was partially supporting the tree canopy when the coworker saw the tree canopy start to shift and move. The coworker warned the employee, and the employee was struck across the back by the tree trunk portion of the canopy. The employee sustained paralysis from a severed spinal cord, a fractured pelvis, fractured shoulder, and multiple fractured vertebrae. The employee was hospitalized for these injuries.
Employee # | Inspection Nr | Age | Sex | Degree of Injury | Nature of Injury | Occupation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1418197.015 | 38 | M | Hospitalized injury | Telecomm: Line Installers And Repairers |