Accident Report Detail

Accident Summary Nr: 201352895 - Employee Is Killed When Tree Crushed Cab of Excavator

Accident Summary Nr: 201352895 -- Report ID: 0419700 -- Event Date: 11/21/2005
Inspection Nr	Date Opened	SIC	NAICS	Establishment Name
308435031	11/22/2005	1629	238910	J.D. Sweeney Corporation

Abstract: On November 21, 2005, Employee #1, a member of a crew, was clearing a site of pine trees. He was operating a John deer 490E excavator that was equipped with a claw-thumb bucket. This excavator was not equipped with rollover guards or with overhead and rear canopy guards. He was attempting to fell a pine tree that was approximately 29 ft high with a trunk diameter of approximately 17-in. He used the bucket to dig around and under the base of the tree. He then hooked the bucket behind the tree and used the excavator arm to pull the tree in the direction of the excavator. The tap root of the tree snapped and the tree fell onto the cab of the excavator, crushing it. Employee #1 died due to respiratory failure and asphyxia due to a spinal cord compression and fractures, and a blunt head and neck impact.

Keywords: ASPHYXIATED, TREE FELLING, CRUSHED, TREE, EXCAVATOR, STRUCK BY, BUCKET ELEVATOR, MOTOR VEHICLE

Accident Details
End Use		Project Type		Project Cost	Stories	Non-building Height	Fatality
Single family or duplex dwelling		New project or new addition		$500,000 to $1,000,000	1		X

Employee Details
Employee #	Inspection Nr	Age	Sex	Degree of Injury	Nature of Injury	Occupation	Construction
1	308435031			Fatality	Asphyxia	Industrial truck and tractor equipment operators	Distance of Fall: feet Worker Height Above Ground/Floor: feet Cause: Site clearing and grubbing Fatality Cause: Struck by falling object/projectile

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