A Canadian arborist died in a horrendous wood chipper accident Wednesday morning in Oshawa, Ontario, according to reports.
The incident occurred around 8:45 a.m. on Waverly Street, where Eco Tree Care was removing trees under a city contract, CTV News reported. The victim, identified as Daniel Vanheyst, 22, was pulled into the wood chipper, Insauga said.
A neighbor, who was recording video of the crew working, told the Toronto Sun the incident occurred while Vanheyst and another worker loaded a branch into the machine.
“I saw his feet leave the ground. It was that quick,” the resident said.
He noted he went over to the scene after witnessing Vanheyst’s coworker rush to stop the wood chipper.
“It wasn’t a good scene for the young boys,” he noted.
It is not clear how Vanheyst was pulled into the machine.
Mike, another resident in the neighborhood, told the outlet he was alerted to the incident when he looked out his front window and saw an ambulance and firetruck arrive, noting the ambulance was on scene for about 20 minutes.
“Durham police confirmed the arborist was pronounced dead at the scene,” according to CTV News.
Eco Tree Care Staff Development Coordinator Mike Mol told the Sun that there are no words to describe their sorrow for Vanheyst’s loved ones.
“He was truly a wonderful young man, his positive energy was an inspiration to everyone who met him,” Mol said. “This tragedy has affected not only his family, friends and coworkers, but our entire community.”
Oshawa’s director of operations, Mike Saulnier, spoke with CTV regarding the incident.
“For us, the group, they’re an extended part of our family so when something like this tragic happens it just — our heartfelt condolences and our hearts go out to the family. This is very hard to deal with,” he said.
“There’s no such place for an incident like this to happen. And that’s what’s very hard for us to digest,” he added.
The Ontario Ministry of Labour is investigating the incident.
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