Horseplay Results in Worker's Death

hydraulic grapple

Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after allegedly crushing his 26-year-old coworker’s head with a hydraulic grapple while the two were working for a tree-trimming company in Apple Valley, Minnesota on August 20.
According to charging documents, Crimmins was operating the grapple from atop a truck while the victim cleared branches on the ground below when the two began manipulating the shadows the grapple and the victim cast on the street, moving the grapple to make its shadow appear to “grab” the victim’s shadow.
Crimmins said he did not see the grapple approaching the victim’s head before closing it, and a witness reported seeing the grapple strike or pinch the victim’s head, with blood later found on the equipment. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene with significant head trauma.
Crimmins was arrested and remains in Dakota County Jail, with bail set at $40,000 without conditions or $20,000 with conditions following his first court appearance; he has an omnibus hearing scheduled for Sept. 10.

A worker died Aug. 30 after being struck by a car around 5 a.m. while working as a construction zone flagger on Northeast Hogan Drive in Gresham, Oregon, according to the Gresham Police Department.
Police said a white sedan hit Jimenez and fled the scene without stopping to check on him or provide first aid. Jimenez was hospitalized with critical injuries before dying later that day.
The department’s Vehicular Crimes Team is investigating the hit-and-run, and Gresham Police Chief Travis Gullberg said officers “will work tirelessly to ensure the driver is held responsible for their actions.”

New York’s Retail Worker Safety Act requires employers with 10 or more retail employees statewide to adopt written workplace violence prevention policies and provide interactive training at hire and periodically thereafter, a requirement that’s been in effect since June 2025.
Starting January 1, 2027, retailers with 500 or more employees in New York must also provide workers with access to a silent response button, which can take the form of a physical button, wearable device, or phone app, along with training on its use.
Critics say that simply installing a button satisfies the letter of the law but doesn’t guarantee worker safety, since the requirement doesn’t address who receives the alert, whether that person is available and equipped to respond or what happens if nobody acts. The law recommends retailers build a full “response architecture” that includes trained responders, escalation protocols and logging systems to track response times and outcomes.
Other states are moving in a similar direction. California already requires workplace violence prevention plans and Washington has panic button requirements for certain workers.

Horseplay Results in Worker’s Death