A 17-year-old worker had an accidental death involving a chainsaw on Sunday, June 22. The young worker was tasked with cutting up a fallen tree at a home in Muskegon, Michigan. Later, the homeowner found the teen “next to the chainsaw with a laceration to their neck,” according to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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17-Year-Old Worker Dies After Teen Cuts Neck With Chainsaw While Slicing Tree
The teenager’s identity remains unknown, and we don’t know how exactly the accident occurred. In 2025, this marks the 14th worker fatality of the year in Michigan. Not only that, but this is the fourth worker fatality in the region of West Michigan, per WOODTV.
Just over 19 miles east of Muskegon is Raveena, where on January 16, a 41-year-old laborer died. The trailer they were pulling came off the hitch, causing a crash that led to a metal pole penetrating “the cab of the truck fatally injuring the worker.”
Meanwhile, just three days before the 17-year-old tragically died, another worker fatality occurred in Ann Arbor. A 48-year-old truck driver was backing up his truck, but the truck jack-knifed. This caused the truck to tip over, crushing the cab and killing them.
While 14 worker fatalities halfway through 2025 may seem like a small number, it may only grow from here. 2024 saw 34 MIOSHA-related deaths, and the lowest number of deaths happened in 2009, which was 24.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidelines for safely operating a chainsaw, per PEOPLE. While using a chainsaw can be hazardous, there are many safety protocols.
Chainsaw-wielders should look out for metal like nails or spikes in the tree before cutting, keep their hands on the handles and maintain balance, refrain from wearing loose-fitting clothing, wear protective gear, and more.
We don’t yet know if the teen worker was wearing the proper protective gear when cutting the tree. Nevertheless, even if they were protected, one small slip may have ended with this accident if the chainsaw slipped through the protective clothing.