Man sucked head-first into wood chipper dies

A Northern California man died Thursday after getting stuck in a wood chipper, authorities said.

The man was helping remove tree branches and debris from a house in a rural area outside Nevada City, about 60 miles northeast of Sacramento, when he apparently got stuck while feeding something into the chipper.

Nevada County Sheriff's Department officials told Fox 40 Sacramento the incident is being investigated, but it appears to be an accident.

The Union newspaper of Grass Valley reported that the victim was a professional landscaping crew member who was sucked head-first into the machine after he became ensnared in some rope.

"It was a huge chipper capable of processing full-size trees," Sgt. Hap Penaluna told the paper. "It's just a tragic accident."

The man's name has not been released.

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-- Kimi Yoshino