A Kentucky contractor tragically died Monday after falling into a wood chipper while working near a holiday display.
According to The Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, the freak accident occurred just before 5 p.m. while Joseph “Joey” Wesley Manire, 46, was trimming trees across the street from a popular Christmas light attraction in Owensboro, local TV news outlet WEVV.com reported.
Disaster struck after the Crofton native became tangled in a holiday light display and fell partway into a woodchipper, sustaining traumatic injuries, according to some reports.
Emergency responders arrived shortly thereafter and pronounced Manire dead at the scene. Authorities are currently probing the tragic incident, but claim that no foul play is suspected at this time.
In light of the grisly accident, the Owensboro Christmas Lights’ organizers posted a Facebook advisory warning visitors to “be cautious and extra aware if you are traveling in our area tonight.”
“There has been an accident concerning a landscaping business across the street from our display,” the group’s reps wrote. “Local authorities have our neighborhood blocked off at the moment. We have the lights on to help light the area for the first responders, but please plan to visit the display a different night.”
This isn’t the first time a contractor has been killed by a woodchipper of late. In October, a California tree trimmer perished after falling into one of the bark-mulching devices.
