The owner of a local tree trimming business died following an accident in Douglas.
ALLEGAN COUNTY, MI – (MLive) - Police identified Joshua Watkin, 50, owner of Watkin Tree Pro in Holland Township, as the man who fell to his death when a boom broke while he was trimming trees in a Saugatuck-area neighborhood.
He was on a stand-alone lift when the equipment failed, Douglas police Chief Steven Kent said.
The accident was reported at 1:48 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, on Wildwood Lane off Center Street in Douglas.
Watkin fell at least 40 feet in front of the garage and died at the scene.
Two workers were in the area but didn’t see him fall. Rescuers responded to a report of a victim with traumatic injuries but “unfortunately, he was pronounced dead from the fall,” the police chief said.
He said it appeared that the upper arm of the lift broke.
The lift could be operated from the bucket or on the ground, Kent said.
Douglas police are investigating with Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or MIOSHA. Saugatuck Township firefighters assisted at the scene.
Watkin Tree Pro, on West Lakewood Boulevard, is a “family owned business specializing in the care of residential trees,” its website says.
The company has been in business since 1996.
11/21/24 - Holiday Scams on the Rise - Again
11/19/24 - John Ball Zoo Unveils More of Their Master Plan
11/18/24 - New GR Soccer Stadium Will Be Amway Stadium
8/15/24 - Groundbreaking For New Children's Rehab Hospital
