Teen Killed in Wood Chipper on First Day on the Job

Officials report that a 19-year-old man was killed during his first day on the job after being pulled into a wood chipper.

Kings Mountain Police told the media that Crawford Tree Service of Belmont was cutting down trees over the last weekend when new employee, Gastonia resident Mason Scott Cox, tried to kick a limb into a wood chipper with his foot. But as the tree limb slammed into the machine it dragged Cox in with it.

Crawford himself suffered a calamity during the accident that claimed the younger man’s life. The boss and owner of the tree trimming company suffered a heart attack during the accident, sending him to the hospital.

The young man’s family was utterly shocked by the news. The victim’s mother, Debra Sisk, told the media that her son was excited about starting the job and had pleaded with his family to let him take the job.

Thirty-one people were killed in woodchipper accidents between 1992 and 2002 in the US, according to a 2005 report by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Source.

My worst nightmare. :(

The way the title was worded, I expected the wood chipper to come to life and kill the teen Maximum Overdrive-style.

How do you know it didn't!?

@loco145: Good point.

Sounds like a Darwin award winner to me.

A man died.

Horrible tragedy and an awful way to go.

Isn't that what the Darwin awards for? The dude was 19. Not 11. He should've known better. Sad yes...but also really really stupid. Sounds like he reenacted the death of a throw-away character in a comedic horror B-movie.

I'm just sayin'. That could of been you, that could of been me.

I turned down a tree trimming job at 18 and im a moron. I probably would have been kicking crap into the chipper as well.

holyleeeshite i googled death by wood chipper..................

Damn. Poor kid, what a tragic way to go.

I can guarantee everyone (yes, including you) occasionally do things that could potentially result in injury or death, whether it be using your cellphone while driving or have earphones in while crossing a road with a blind corner (I know I've done that occasionally). This guy could've just as easily kicked this one branch in, being lucky enough not to get caught, and gone on to live a happy and fulfilling life...

The point I'm trying to make is, it's not just "stupid" people who die in horrible and avoidable ways like this, he was probably just your average 19 year old, no dumber than you.

It makes me wonder how many people who say "Another Darwin Award winner" when accidents like these happen do stupid things on a subconscious level without even realizing it, or do things they know they shouldn't be doing but have yet to have the bad luck of consequence affect them?

A scary experience.

Maybe it was that very kid who's made such a post? Could be karma. For all you guys know he could've been a real asshole and this fate's comeuppance. Probably not though. It's one thing to do something stupid - it's another to stick your foot into a wood chipper.

I always mulch my dead tree stuff because those things scare the crap out of me. It's a good thing to be scared of, getting too comfortable working with them is what causes you to mess up.

The guys first day on the job I bet he didn't want to call the seniors for help and tried to show he is a problem solver. They are not all like the one someone posted from the movie Fargo as a joke, some are huge things that you could easily trip into. Once it has snag of anything it gets pulled in fast.

Well whatever the kid was like or not, thoughts go to his family. Perhaps it was an act of god that nobody could foresee. Something about the chipper does not sound right. The tree companies over here generally use chippers that have guards over the hopper/feeder preventing people from being dragged. You would have to physically climb onto the machine to get your foot sucked into the thing.

And i just got my nighmare fuel from OT of all places.

Did he stick his foot into the wood chipper though? My interpretation of the article is he kicked a branch which was sticking out of the wood chipper and as the branch was pulled into the machine his leg got caught on the branch and he was dragged in with it. I'm not saying it wasn't a dumb thing to do, but it's the same kind of absent-minded thing people do occasionally that can potentially end in disaster.

And that is why one should always follow the safety regulations in the workplace, even if you're a new employee.

A tragedy.

Not cool.

Shame. Never get too close to a wood chipper.

Dayum. He missed Star Wars/

Empathy and compassion serve evolutionary functions, as they promote survival. Since we're being deadpan Darwinians, I say you're owed a Darwin award yourself.

@fattymacfatcat:

I did too...one of the most gruesome things....just awful

We have a lot of good front runners this year for the Darwin Award. Last year I gave my vote to the dipshit that ran in front of tony Stewart's race car. This year I'm giving it to the New England moron that blew his head off with an mortar style firework. The year isn't over yet, however.

To all the pc thugs and keyboard warriors, get over it. You don't follow the proper rules and procedures, death can happen. Sorry your parents helicoptered over you and put down plenty of bubble wrap, and now you don't understand stoves are hot, powered equipment is dangerous, and things that make a loud sounds, usually possess the power to kill, but death does happen in the real world, regardless!

I'm laughing at the people giving @KHAndAnime a hard time over what is an apt conclusion to make.

If it weren't a wood-chipper, the kid would have bit it somewhere else down the road. That's not a piece of equipment to **** around with. I'm not even sure how he could have been "dragged in" by a branch unless he was doing something incredibly stupid and immature. There is usually a very strict set of practices in place when operating such a thing.

It's a damn shame someone died, and we should feel sympathy for the parents, family and friends, but it was still a stupid and highly-avoidable death.

You have absolutely no idea what would have happened to him later on in life had he not died. Yes, his death was avoidable, but there's a good chance he wasn't properly trained on how to use the chipper, considering it was first day. Hell, he might even been told it's ok to kick a branch in. We also don't know exactly how he ended up being dragged in. Could be he was well clear of the chipper when he kicked the branch, but a stump on the branch hooked his pant leg and that's how he got yanked in. But yeah, it's clearly not as stupid as him just going, "Dur, look at me putting my foot DIRECTLY into the chipper!"

And as for Darwin Awards, I would agree with you that anyone stupid enough to run in front of a race car or put a mortar on their head deserves one, but I don't agree with the wood chipper kid receiving one for reasons mentioned in my previous post.

Darwin would be proud....

It does kind of bring to mind H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine", where the main character goes back to save his wife and she ends up dying in a variety of different ways, regardless. Based on that, one could argue that if we could theoretically go back in time and save this guy from his ultimately fate, wouldn't the odds be that he would meet his end sometime soon after? Whether by car accident, wood chipper, or shark attack, maybe it's just his time?

Are we thinking of the same book? I thought that book was about humanity splitting during evolution into a carnivorous underground society that raised a softminded and lethargic above ground society as a form of cattle. Although your plot sounds familiar. It might have been something by Bradbury?

In incidents like these, how was he buried or cremated? I mean did they have to pick his parts off the wood chips. Man that's a mess. RIP.

No it couldnt, I know not to stick my limbs near the grinder.

But believe me a Wood Chipper is still merciful compared to a typical farm yard rotavator.... Jesus.

The town I grew up on had a local farmer who got caught up in on. The witness was his daughter and his son. I knew his son and from what he told me, it mangles you up good and proper, but has the decency to leave just enough of a trace that you can make out the distorted horror on your dads face as parts of his severed body are flung about in random directions while bits of paste got spat in their faces.

You probably pressure wash the bits into the nearest gutter, heath stroke ditch. You become a very rich compost high in nutrients.

Been awhile since I've read it but I'm pretty sure its the same book.

Holy cow, I guess I need to put that book back on my list. I don't remember that at all.

Jeez buddy, go easy there. I'd planned on getting some sleep tonight.

Sad. It's always unfortunate for a family and friends to lose a loved one, no matter what the situation was.

*GRAPHIC* or maybe he just up and hucked himself into the wood chipper.

Sorry but I was immediately reminded of Tucker and Dale vs Evil, the best horror-bromance movie ever.

It's not an apt conclusion though. You're attempting to make an assessment of this guys intelligence based on this one stupid decision he made, and no - I do not agree that, if he had not died in this accident, he would have died of some other avoidable accident down the line.

@mattbbpl:

That's because you were right to begin with, the divided societies, and there was that poor surface girl Weena.

How sad... some jobs can kill you.

Mom: It probably wouldn't kill you to get a job, you know.

Is he gonna be okay?

Does that mean this guy was never okay to begin with?

Does that mean this guy was never okay to begin with?