In a startling case from Minnesota, a tree-trimming worker faces manslaughter charges after reportedly crushing the head of a fellow crew member using a hydraulic grapple during what has been described as horseplay on the job site.
The tragic event unfolded in Apple Valley on Thursday. As per documents from Dakota County, 34-year-old Christopher Boone Crimmins was maneuvering machinery mounted on a truck while his colleague, 26-year-old Tyler Anthony Lynch, was stationed below, busy with debris clearance.
Upon arrival at the scene, law enforcement found Lynch on the ground, surrounded by “a significant amount of blood” and exhibiting severe head trauma, according to the complaint filed.
The authorities confirmed that Lynch was declared dead at the location of the incident.
Christopher Crimmins now stands accused of operating a boom carelessly, which allegedly led to the fatality of his coworker. (Dakota County Jail)
Authorities said Crimmins was operating a boom, a movable mechanical arm attached to a truck, when he and Lynch began messing around with their shadows.
“He and the Victim were ‘f—ing around’ and saw that the sunlight was casting shadows of both the grapple and of the Victim on the street,” the criminal complaint said.
While looking at the shadows, Crimmins allegedly maneuvered the grapple so that its shadow appeared to grab Lynch’s shadow.
However, he did not realize that the grapple itself was moving toward Lynch’s head.
An employee operates a grapple to remove a tree from a residential property. A Minnesota tree-trimming worker was charged with second-degree manslaughter after allegedly crushing a coworker’s head with a hydraulic grapple while the two were horsing around with their shadows on the job. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
“Crimmins was not monitoring the actual grapple or Lynch. He then opened and closed the grapple, crushing Lynch’s head,” the Dakota County Attorney’s Office said.
A witness also saw the incident unfold and said the grapple appeared to “hit or pinch” Lynch’s head as it approached him.
Officers observed blood on the grapple, which was directly above Lynch, according to the complaint.
Authorities alleged Crimmins was responsible for the incident through negligence, saying he created an “unreasonable risk” and “consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another.”
A hydraulic grapple grips a large tree branch during a tree-trimming job. (Matthias Rietschel/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Crimmins has been charged with one felony count of second-degree manslaughter. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
Officials said Crimmins was being held at the Dakota County Jail. Bail was set at $40,000 without conditions or $20,000 with conditions.