Minnesota tree trimmer charged in coworker’s death after on-the-job horseplay turns deadly

A tree-trimming employee has been charged with manslaughter after allegedly crushing his coworker’s head with a hydraulic grapple while the pair were reportedly "f—ing around" on the job, according to Minnesota authorities.

The incident happened in Apple Valley on Thursday when Christopher Boone Crimmins, 34, was operating machinery on the back of a truck while his coworker, Tyler Anthony Lynch, 26, was on the ground cleaning up branches, according to a criminal complaint filed by Dakota County.

Responding to reports of an incident, police discovered Lynch lying on the ground with "a significant amount of blood around him and significant trauma to his head," the complaint said.

Lynch was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the county.

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Authorities said Crimmins was operating a boom, a movable mechanical arm attached to a truck, when he and Lynch began messing around with their shadows.

"He and the Victim were ‘f—ing around’ and saw that the sunlight was casting shadows of both the grapple and of the Victim on the street," the criminal complaint said.

While looking at the shadows, Crimmins allegedly maneuvered the grapple so that its shadow appeared to grab Lynch’s shadow.

However, he did not realize that the grapple itself was moving toward Lynch’s head.

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"Crimmins was not monitoring the actual grapple or Lynch. He then opened and closed the grapple, crushing Lynch’s head," the Dakota County Attorney's Office said.

A witness also saw the incident unfold and said the grapple appeared to "hit or pinch" Lynch’s head as it approached him.

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Officers observed blood on the grapple, which was directly above Lynch, according to the complaint.

Authorities alleged Crimmins was responsible for the incident through negligence, saying he created an "unreasonable risk" and "consciously takes chances of causing death or great bodily harm to another."

Crimmins has been charged with one felony count of second-degree manslaughter. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Officials said Crimmins was being held at the Dakota County Jail. Bail was set at $40,000 without conditions or $20,000 with conditions.