Contractor falls into wood chipper and dies while trimming trees, Kentucky cops say

A contractor was killed after he fell into a wood chipper during a job in Owensboro, Kentucky, according to reports.

The incident happened around 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 28, in a subdivision of the Western Kentucky town, WEVV reported.

The tree trimming contractor, later identified as 46-year-old Joseph “Joey” Manire, “became entangled and partially fell into a wood chipper,” according to WEHT.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, WFIE reported. Foul play is not suspected in the death, which officials described as “traumatic.”

Manire’s death occurred across the street from a popular Christmas lights attraction, according to The Owensboro Times. People were asked to avoid the area.

A 2018 study published in the National Library of Medicine determined there were 113 wood chipper-related deaths from 1982 to 2016. Forty-one of the victims had been caught in the machinery.

“Workers are killed every year in wood chipper-related incidents despite the repeated hazard warnings,” the study says. “In-depth, comprehensive, and up-to-date studies are needed to identify causal, risk, and contributing factors and assess the current control measures so that an effective and proactive prevention approach can be developed.”