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Fatal Logging incident - Robin Hood Bay, Port Underwood

Wednesday 20 January 2010, 1:20PM

By New Zealand Police

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MARLBOROUGH

At about 10.00am on Wednesday 20th January 2010, Police, Fire and Ambulance services were called to assist at a logging site in Robin Hood Bay, Port Underwood, Marlborough.
This site is approximately 20kms from Blenheim in a rural area.

Search and Rescue Police staff, began co-ordinating an operation to assist in freeing a worker from beneath the tree he was pinned under. Police also activated a rescue helicopter from Nelson.

The tragic situation involved a 34 year old forestry worker who was injured after being struck by a tree, which had been felled on the site.

Colleagues in the vicinity responded quickly and co-ordinated emergency services to the site but unfortunately were unable to save the worker. He died at the scene.

The exact circumstances surrounding this mans death are being investigated by the Blenheim Police, and the Labour Department will run a parallel investigation into the cause of the death.

Police are disappointed at the actions of unauthorised people monitoring their Police channel.
A person scanning this operation has incorrectly advised a next of kin that their family member had died in this accident. This was not correct. It was yet to be verified by Police.
This inconsiderate action caused a chain of events which tied up Police and Victim Support services in tasks that diverted them from their other more pressing duties, relating to the accident.

More importantly the negligent behaviour of this person reacting to what he or she heard on a Police scanner, caused undue stress on the family of the person wrongly advised.

Police for this reason withhold the information from those that may have been identified as deceased until they positively know who has passed away.