Tragedy after Midwest tree trimmer decided to play joke on co-worker with heavy duty GRAPPLER machine
A tree-trimming worker in Apple Valley, Minnesota, has died after a colleague allegedly used a hydraulic grapple machine to mimic grabbing his head as a joke, only for the device to actually close around it. Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter over the death of 26-year-old Tyler Anthony Lynch, in a case that highlights the dangers of misusing heavy machinery on the job even in jest.
Crimmins told police he and Lynch had been "fooling around" and were watching shadows cast by the grapple and Lynch's head on the ground when he manoeuvred the machine to appear as though it was grabbing Lynch, not realising it had actually closed on him. A witness reported seeing the grapple "hit or pinch" Lynch, and police arriving at the scene found him with severe head injuries; he was pronounced dead there. Authorities say Crimmins showed "culpable negligence" and created "unreasonable risk"; he faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted and is due back in court on 10 September in Hastings, Minnesota, while workplace safety regulators investigate.
- Minnesota worker killed when colleague's "joke" with grapple machine went wrong
- Christopher Crimmins, 34, charged with manslaughter over Tyler Lynch's death
- Faces up to 10 years in prison; next court date 10 September
New here? Start with this
Tyler Anthony Lynch, 26, and Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, worked together as tree trimmers in Apple Valley, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities. Their job involved operating a hydraulic grapple, a large mechanical claw fitted to heavy machinery and used to grip and lift tree branches and trunks. Lynch died after the grapple closed around his head while the pair were reportedly messing about on the job.
Crimmins has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, a charge used in Minnesota for deaths caused by negligence rather than intent to kill, and could face up to a decade in prison if convicted. The case has drawn attention because it involves industrial equipment being used in a moment of horseplay between colleagues, rather than in the course of normal work, raising broader questions about safety practices around heavy machinery.
The case is now moving through the criminal courts in Minnesota, alongside a separate review by workplace safety regulators, who examine deaths and injuries that occur on the job to determine whether safety rules were followed or need to change.