CHATHAM – A Chatham man died when he fell some 30 feet from a tree trimming bucket on Monday.
State Police said Robert Fournier, 50, was contracted by the Town of
Chatham to remove trees and limbs from the shoulders of Howe Road. While
elevated roughly 30 feet in the bucket at around 11:43 a.m., the hydraulic
system supporting the boom appeared to have failed, causing the bucket
to descent rapidly, police said. Fournier, who was cutting branches at
the time, fell and struck the ground.
He was dead at the scene.
The State Police Troop K Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit responded to the scene and inspected the vehicle.
Troopers were assisted by the Columbia County Coroner’s Office, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, EMS and firefighters who responded to the scene.
