A witness has told an inquiry how a life-long friend gave him a thumbs-up seconds before he was crushed to death by a falling tree.
John Phillips died aged 29 on land owned by pal David Cochrane’s family in rural Angus.
Mr Phillips – who worked as a tree cutter – and Mr Cochrane were felling trees beside a road at Auchindorie Farm, near Kirriemuir, when the tragedy occurred on March 14 2013.
Mr Cochrane told a fatal accident inquiry at Forfar Sheriff Court that he had been operating a Caterpillar Telehandler machine attached to the trees they were cutting by a wire while Mr Phillips used a chainsaw to cut the trees down.
The inquiry heard Mr Phillips was only trained to cut trees up to 380mm wide – but that the tree he was working on was 1100mm wide.
However, a Forestry Commission expert said he had been using the correct tools and techniques, and that the tree had fallen in an unexpected direction, landing directly on top of Mr Phillips, because a “hinge” piece of wood had been “compromised” during cutting.
Mr Cochrane, 32, said he had known Mr Phillips since childhood and their families had been friends for years.
Speaking of the moment his pal was killed, Mr Cochrane said: “He gave me the thumbs up and I began to move to pull the tree down towards me.
“Instead of coming towards me the tree broke away from the stump and fell the wrong way.
“There was no going back once it broke off – there’s nothing you can really do and it could have fallen in any direction.”
He said the tree landed on Mr Phillips and he quickly move the telehandler to lift it off.
He added: “I was shouting to see if I got a response but when I got to him there was no pulse. I could see by the damage caused by the tree that there was nothing I could have done.”
Sheriff Gregor Murray said the inquiry was not intended to apportion blame, but to see if lessons could be learned. He said it was “a genuine tragedy” and will give his determination in writing in the next two weeks.
