Granite City man gets caught in rope while trimming trees and dies

A 31-year old Granite City man died while trimming trees at a Fairview Heights residence Monday afternoon when a rope used to lower branches got tangled around his neck and pulled tight by a wood shredder.

St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. identified the man as Curtis Johnson, Jr. of the 9700 block of Summitt Avenue in Collinsville. He was pronounced dead on scene at 3:31 p.m., Dye said.

Tim Mueller, public information officer for the Fairview Heights Plolice Department, said police were dispatched to the 9400 block of Old Lincoln Trail at about 2 p.m. in reference to an accidental death.

“Some guys were doing tree trimming work at a house there and, we are not sure, but we believe the victim got intertwined in the rope,” Mueller said.

The name of the company for which Johnson worked was not immediately available.

Mueller said the crew was using a rope to lower the cut branches to Johnson, who was loading the wood into a shredder/chipper.

“We believe the rope went through the shredder and entangled the victim, causing the rope to cinch around his neck and sever it,” Mueller said.

Police spoke to another worker who Mueller described as very distraught.

The man told police he and the victims “ were just becoming friends,” Mueller said.

This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 9:42 AM.