PHENIX CITY, Ala. (WRBL) – Several agencies are performing an investigation after a Phenix City man was pronounced dead while working at a lumber company on May 27, according to police.
Brandon Lee Vandyke, 34, has been identified as the victim by the Phenix City Police Department. Officers were dispatched to 4 Cutrate Road on a medical call, where they discovered the partial remains of an attendant that went to check on malfunctioning equipment early in the morning on Wednesday.
Police say Vandyke became entangled in the machinery, an auger/wood chipper that processes wood to be belt-fed into another area of the factory for further processing. Police say the auger jammed and an alarm sounded at 4:15 a.m.
When Vandyke went to service the equipment, he was injured and was unable to recover. The Russell County Coroner pronounced Vandyke dead at the scene.
The Phenix City Police Department, the Phenix City Fire Department, and the Phenix City Building Department are investigating the incident with assistance from the Columbus Fire Department, Care Ambulance, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Russell County District Attorney’s Office.
The incident is still under active investigation.
