Falling branch kills worker
Police have named a Hastings forestry worker who was killed when a falling branch hit him.
Shane Philip Frater, 28, died yesterday morning at a forestry block near Te Pohue, off the Napier-Taupo Rd, when he was hit by a branch of a tree as it slid down a hillside. The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter Service was called out but he had died by the time it arrived.
Detective Senior Sergeant Nick Reid of Napier said an investigation was under way to determine what happened and if there was anyone at fault for an eventual inquest.
He could not say last night what company Mr Frater was working for.
The Department of Labour has also launched an investigation.
