Man Killed While Trying To Pull Dog Out Of Stump Grinder

[matcom]

<snip>

LAKE WALES, Fla. -- A man trying to save a dog being pulled into a stump grinder was caught in the machine and killed, authorities said.

Robert J. Wagner, 25, and his friend, John Santilli, of Port St. Lucie, were using the grinder while at a hunting camp in the River Ranch area about 9:40am Sunday, said Polk County sheriff's spokeswoman Donna Wood. Santilli's dog got entangled when the animal's leash got caught in the machine, Wood said.

Wagner tried to rescue the 6-month-old Weimaraner, but was pulled into the machine's blades. He died of lacerations and major head and body trauma, Wood said.

Deputies had to use four-wheel drive vehicles to get to the scene. Wagner and the dog were dead by the time authorities arrived.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/10305623/detail.html

[tk2kewl]

1. Darwin candidate? How 'bout shutting it off and then trying to get the dog?

:shrug:

[johnnie]

2. Ouch

Just plain ouch.

[petronius]

3. Poor guy - that definitely ranks pretty high on my 'least preferable way to die" list

:scared:

I can't help but wonder why the other guy couldn't turn off the machine, however - wouldn't equipment like that have an emergency shutoff?

[jmowreader]

5. We have a Vermeer. It is FESTOONED with kill switches.

There are something like six kill switches on this thing--they're all over the machine so you don't have to "remember" where one is.

There's even one next to the ejection chute in case you're throwing chips somewhere you don't want to throw them.

[Porcupine]

6. Who steps away from the operators station on a stump grinder?

That alone will likely get you a Darwin award without even bringing the dog into the picture.

Whenever I use a chipper, an equally deadly tool, I warm the thing up and practice using the kill switches a few times before the first twig hits the feed chute. The guy had good intentions but was too stupid to live.

[idgiehkt]

4. that would probably be me too

if something like that happened to one of my pets I'd probably panic and end up dead too.

The moral of the story: Never cut down trees.