Australian man dies in 'shocking' woodchipper incident
The man's death is being treated as an accident for the time being.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An Australian man has died in an “absolutely shocking” incident involving a wood chipper.
Acting Inspector Paul Algie told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that it was a “horrendous thing” to have seen the death of a 54-year-old Queensland man after he fell into the machine.
He and two friends were helping clear the driveway of a rural property owned by someone else about 700 miles north of Sydney in Goomborian, Gympie.
None of them were professional contractors, according to local police.
Mr Algie said the two friends who were present during the incident are “extremely distressed.”
The man’s death is being treated as an accident at this time, however the coroner’s report is still being prepared.
Mr Algie said: “there's very clear guidelines in terms of the paperwork that comes with these machines and also I noticed on the trailer there's a number of warning stickers in relation to how the machine should be used” and inspectors are looking into if the woodchipper was being used properly and safely.
Details about how the man fell into the machine and who saw what are still being investigated as well.
The victim’s identity has not been released by police.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments