First pics of man, 54, shredded to death in a wood chipper as cop reveals horror scene
Bruce Saunders, 54, was killed instantly after he became 'entangled' in a wood chipper in rural Queensland
THIS is the first picture of the 54-year-old man who died after falling in a wood chipper on a rural property in Australia.
Bruce Saunders was killed instantly after he became trapped in the machine while clearing a driveway at Goomborian, Gympie in Queensland with two pals on Sunday evening.
Acting Inspector Paul Algie described the scene as one of the most harrowing he’d come across in his 16 years on the job.
He told : “I went out there this morning to speak to officers from Brisbane and I’d have to say it’s one of the worst incident scenes I’ve ever seen.
“There was nothing that could be done to save this gentleman.”
Family and friends paid tribute to the man on Facebook with one describing him as a "decent fella with a heart of gold".
A relative wrote: "It's a hell of a way to go out... such a terrible way to go."
One pal added: "He was our mate and will be sadly missed."
At a press conference this week, Inspector Algie said the two men who were with Mr Saunders when the fatal incident occurred were “extremely distressed”.
“They’re understandably extremely distressed over what’s occurred,” he said. “They’re very traumatised as a result of what’s happened and police are assisting them obviously in any way we can in terms of ongoing welfare needs.”
None of the men were contractors and were there doing a favour for a woman who owns the property.
Mr Saunder's death is being treated as an accident.
Inspecter Agie said: "He [Mr Saunders] was placing a tree into a tree shredder, he's become entangled, the circumstances of which are now under investigation.
"His friends discovered him as he became entangled and attempted to extract him from the shredders os they are obviously quite traumatised now.";
Paramedics confirmed they attended the scene at about 8pm on Sunday night but were unable to revive the victim.
Officers from the Sunshine Coast’s Workplace Health and Safety team are currently investigating and police are preparing a report for the coroner.
