Bay Area tree trimmer dies after falling into wood chipper
A Bay Area tree trimmer died Tuesday after he fell into a wood chipper, authorities said.
Jesus Contreras Benitez, 47, was cutting trees on the 900 block of Peggy Lane in Menlo Park just before 1 p.m., when the accident occurred, authorities said.
The worker was already dead of his injuries by the time police responded to the scene. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the incident, according to the Menlo Park Police Department.
A neighbor spotted the man dangling upside down and called authorities around noon.
Video of the scene showed police and firefighters at the coned-off scene, with tree branches lying in the street next to the wood chipper.
Other workers were also at the scene at the time of the incident.
Benitez was from Redwood City and was identified by the San Mateo County coroner’s office.
“We all feel sick and sad,” neighbor Lisa Mitchell told KGO-TV in the Bay Area.
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