Michael Shuls, who died after getting caught in a conveyor machine at a lumber mill in his home town of Florence. Photograph: supplied
By Eric Berger, The Guardian, November 28, 2023
In late June, Jim Schuls and his 16-year-old son, Michael, woke up at 4am for their usual drive from their apartment in Florence, Wisconsin, to begin work at 5am at a sawmill. Father and son made this journey together five times a week in the summer, when Michael worked longer hours than he did in term time. His two older brothers had also worked at the same mill when they were about his age.
Their day at Florence Hardwoods – one of the largest employers in the town with a population of about 2,000 – began as normal. Jim operated a forklift outside while Michael worked alone inside the mill. Jim says he never worried because he believed “young kids were stacking lumber”, not operating dangerous machines.
According to a Florence County sheriff’s office report, when the conveyor machine became jammed Michael stepped on to it to try to straighten the wood, but he had not pressed a safety button to turn it off. The conveyor started to move and he became caught in the machine. The teenager was trapped for 17 minutes before a supervisor, who had been operating a forklift outside, discovered him unconscious.
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