Phenix City man dies at lumber mill after getting caught in wood chipper, police say

A Phenix City man is dead after getting caught in a wood chipper machine, according to a press release from the Phenix City Police Department.

The incident occurred around 5 a.m. Wednesday. Police were called to 4 Cutrate Road in reference to a medical call. When officers arrived, they were led to a work area with wood processing silos.

Police discovered the remains of Brandon Vandyke, 34, who checked on an equipment malfunction around 4:15 a.m., according to the release. He became entangled in the machine while trying to fix it and received injuries that he was unable to recover from.

Vandyke was pronounced dead at the scene by the Russell County Coroner’s office.

PCPD said there will not be a criminal investigation into the incident. However, multiple agencies including PCPD, the Phenix City Fire Department and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are investigating the operations of the mill.