Inspection Detail

Inspection: 313911869 - Tall Trees Timber Co., Llc

Inspection Information - Office: Indiana Department Of Labor

Investigation Summary

At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 12, 2010, Employee #1, of Tall Trees Timber Company, LLC, Employee #1 and his father, who was Employee #2, were working to fell trees along the banks of the White River in southern Indiana. Employee #2 was felling the trees, and limbing and bucking the logs. While Employee #1 was operating a Timberjack 240 cable log skidder. Employee #1 was dragging the logs to the landing and was using the front blade on the skidder to push the tops and branches of the trees into brushpiles. While working on the riverbank, Employee #1 hit his brake pedal but discovered that he had no brakes. The skidder then started rolling down the riverbank. Since the skidder was moving forward, it was impossible to force the machine into reverse. The skidder picked up speed as it rolled down the forty-foot embankment. The skidder then hit the mud at the river's edge with the front left corner of the front blade, causing the skidder to cartwheel up and over (one time) and into the river, coming to rest about ten-feet from the shore in about ten-feet of water. There were no seatbelts in the skidder, and Employee #1 struck his head on the inside of the caged cab as the skidder cart-wheeled into the water. Employee #2 jumped into the river and swam out to the skidder and discovered that the caged cab was completely underwater and that there were no signs of activity inside the cab. Employee #2 was unable to open the door to perform rescue because the exterior handle was missing from the door. Employee #2 was forced to abandon the rescue attempt and swim back to shore, then drive to a nearby farm to use phone to call for help. Rescue divers were able to recover the body about 45 minutes later. Employee #1 was pronounced dead about four hours later. The weather was cold with an air temperature of about 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The ground was frozen, but the ground was not completely covered with snow and the sun was shining.

Keywords: IND TRK OPERATOR, EQUIPMENT OPERATOR, INDUSTRIAL TRUCK, SEAT BELT, SKIDDER, DROWN