Wood chipper incident causes partial amputation of worker’s leg

Employees in the landscaping industry nationwide, including in New York, do not always take appropriate care when they work with equipment such as wood chippers. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 39 workers suffered fatal workplace injuries while working with wood chippers over the most recent 10 years for which data is available. Most of these deaths resulted from people getting body parts caught in wood chippers.

The safety agency reported that it impounded a wood chipper for inspection after a recent incident in West Babylon. A report indicates that the leg of a 72-year-old man became trapped in a wood chipper on a recent Sunday morning. Reportedly, the incident occurred shortly before noon while the man was working with the dangerous machine.

Although it has not yet been determined what caused his leg to get caught, officials say the victim’s son saved his father’s life by freeing him from the chipper. Unfortunately, this was only possible after the partial amputation of his leg. Emergency workers of the fire department rushed the man to a hospital, but the severity of the damage to his leg is unknown.

Employers of workers in the landscaping industry must ensure that all employees are aware of the dangers posed by machines such as wood chippers. Victims of traumatic workplace injuries such as amputations may land up with partial or permanent disabilities after such incidents. However, they will typically be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits — the extent of which will be determined by the severity of their injuries. Some New York workers in similar circumstances have chosen to use the services of an experienced workers’ comp attorney to work on securing maximum benefits.

Source: pix11.com, “Man’s leg partially amputated in Long Island wood chipper accident“, Aliza Chasan, June 25, 2017