A lumber worker has died after being dragged into a wood chipper as he tried to clear a blockage.
Brandon Lee Van Dyke, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene at a Phenix City business in Phenix, Alabama following the horrifying incident on Wednesday.
An alarm went off at around 4.15 am to signal the auger was jammed, so Van Dyke went to check it out.
But as he tried to sort out the obstruction he was pulled into the machine.
Phenix City Police responded to call at 5am and officers arrived to find his remains.
Darryl Williams, from Phenix City Police, said officers arrived and were directed to a work area of silos that process wood.
He told AL.com : "Officers discovered partial remains of the attendant that went to check on an equipment malfunction
"The silo has an auger/wood chipper that processes wood and then it is belt fed to another area for further processing.
"The auger became jammed and an alarm sounded about 4:15am."
Vandyke was pronounced dead at the scene, by the Russell County Coroner’s office.
Williams said agencies involved in the investigation and recovery of the victim from the scene included The Phenix City Police Department, the Phenix City fire department, the Phenix City Building Department, mutual aid from the Columbus Fire Department, Care ambulance, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Russell County District Attorney’s Office.
There is no criminal investigation, he said, but other agencies will be conducting independent investigations into the operation of the mill.
