Three separate logging accidents occurred sequentially over the course of one weekend. All three incidents are unrelated. One man was on his property chopping firewood when a piece of wood struck and killed him. The other two incidents involved industrial workers.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting investigations into the accidents involving the industrial workers. Cal/OSHA investigators are still waiting for reports on both accidents. The first of the two industrial accidents occurred on Friday, Oct. 18.
When the man hadn’t come home from work by about 8:30 p.m., his wife reported him missing. Co-workers found him dead at a job site. A preliminary investigation indicates that he was chopping down a large tree when for some as yet undiscovered reason, a rotting tree fell and hit him. It appears he was pinned underneath the tree, but managed to free himself before he passed away.
The second accident happened at about 11:30 a.m. the next morning. A logger thought he was out of harm’s way as a log was being taken up a hill. That log struck a tree that was about 40 feet tall that then fell onto the logger’s head. His co-workers tried to help him, but to no avail.
Both industrial workers died while on the job. Their families may be eligible for death/survivor’s benefits under California law that may cover burial and funeral expenses, and perhaps the families’ expenses in the short term. If further investigation reveals that the one or both of the companies these men worked for were grossly negligent, the families may seek further compensation through the civil courts.
Source: times-standard.com, 3 Humboldt County men dead in unrelated weekend logging accidents: Cal/OSHA opens investigation into 2 industrial accidents, Lorna Rodriquez, Oct. 22, 2013