Minnesota Tree Trimmer Charged with Manslaughter After Fatal Workplace Accident A tree-trimming employee in Minnesota has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after allegedly crushing his coworker’s head with a hydraulic grapple during a moment of workplace horseplay, according to authorities. The incident occurred in Apple Valley on Thursday when Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, was operating machinery on the back of a truck while his coworker, Tyler Anthony Lynch, 26, was on the ground cleaning up branches. According to a criminal complaint filed by Dakota County, police responded to reports of the incident and found Lynch lying on the ground with "a significant amount of blood around him and significant trauma to his head." Lynch was pronounced dead at the scene. The complaint detailed that Crimmins was operating a boom, a movable mechanical arm attached to a truck, when he and Lynch began playing with their shadows. The criminal complaint stated that Crimmins and Lynch were "f—ing around" and observed how sunlight cast shadows of both the grapple and Lynch on the street. Crimmins allegedly maneuvered the grapple so its shadow appeared to "grab" Lynch’s shadow. However, he failed to notice that the grapple itself was moving toward Lynch’s head. A witness reported seeing the grapple "hit or pinch" Lynch’s head as it approached him. Authorities allege that Crimmins was negligent in his actions, creating an "unreasonable risk" and "consciously taking chances of causing death or great bodily harm." The Dakota County Attorney’s Office noted that Crimmins was not monitoring the grapple or Lynch and repeatedly opened and closed the device, leading to Lynch’s fatal injury. Blood was found on the grapple, which was directly above Lynch at the time of the incident.#minnesota #apple_valley #christopher_boone_crimmins #tyler_anthony_lynch #dakota_county
