A man in his third week as a tree trimmer got caught in a stump grinder on Friday, severely injuring his right leg, left arm, chest and throat, authorities said.
Robert Brown, 37, of Melaleuca Lane, west of Lake Worth, was rushed to Delray Medical Center, then transferred to Jackson Memorial Hospital Trauma Center in Miami for surgery. He was listed in critical condition late on Friday.
Paul Miller, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, said the accident occurred about 9 a.m. as Brown and his boss, Sal Stinac, were working in a yard on St. Andrews Drive in the Pinetree Country Club community, west of Boynton Beach.
Brown, who had been working behind a fence, returned to find a piece of stump sticking out of the grinder, Miller said.
He reached in to pull the stump only to have his clothing snag in the revolving machine. He was spun around several times, Miller said. Stinac grabbed Brown and pulled him from the machine, Miller said.
