Nelson man killed in logging accident
May 26, 2014
Nelson Star - A 35-year-old Nelson man was killed in a logging accident early Monday morning.
The Nelson RCMP were called to the vicinity of Smallwood Creek Forest Service Road, an area approximately 12 kilometres west of Nelson, at approximately 8 a.m.
 
They were joined by the Beasley Fire Department and Nelson Search and Rescue.
 
By the time emergency teams arrived, the man had already succumbed to his injuries.
 
“A worker was struck by a log while doing a job they’ve called choker,” said WorkSafe BC communications officer Alexandra Skinner-Reynolds. “The employer was AF Timber. It happened on Garrity Forest Service Road.”
 
Skinner-Reynolds said a special fatal and serious incident investigation team has been assembled to look into the tragic accident.
 
“They’re taking over and conducting a full investigation. Then we’ll know more. It could take a month or three months depending on the complexity of the incident and whether or not there were witnesses, what kind of things need to be looked at,” she said.
 
Skinner-Reynolds said they will also look into the employer’s training procedures and engineering control.
 
Barb McClintock of the B.C. Coroners Service said the man’s name has not been released because some members of his family had not yet been notified. She expected the name to be released late Tuesday.
 
UPDATE: The Nelson man killed in a logging accident this week near the Smallwood Creek forest service road was Laurie Kyle Levy, 36.
 
According to WorkSafeBC communications officer Alexandra Skinner-Reynolds the AF Timber employee was struck by a tree while he worked as a chokerman.
 
The BC Coroners Service confirmed Levy died at the scene. The accident happened shortly after 8 a.m. on Monday approximately 12 kilometres west of Nelson.
 
Skinner-Reynolds said a special fatal and serious incident investigation team has been assembled to look into the tragic accident.
 
“They’re taking over and conducting a full investigation. Then we’ll know more. It could take a month or three months depending on the complexity of the incident and whether there were witnesses, what kind of things need to be looked at,” she said.
 
Levy leaves behind his two children, a nine-year-daughter and a six-year-old son, two stepchildren and his partner, Ali (Alison) Watt.