Man catapulted into post by trees he was cutting
Central Otago man Hayden Blackburn was cutting up trees that had been blown over when they sprang back and catapulted him into the air.
As he fell to the ground he hit a fence post, landed in a swamp and was killed, Coroner Peter Ryan found.
Blackburn, 33, a builder, was chopping the trees near his home in Makarora, on October 10, 2021.
His daughters, aged 5 and 8 at the time, ran a kilometre up the road to alert their mother, Charlene MacIvor, as the area has no cellphone coverage.
MacIvor, a first responder in the remote area, and a friend performed CPR but could not resuscitate Blackburn.
Later use of a defibrillator by emergency services was also not successful.
Coroner Ryan’s newly released report said Blackburn was using a chainsaw to cut the trees on a fence line of a farm.
He had trimmed the trees and cut them to shorter lengths when they unexpectedly reverted to an upright position, due to their combined root structures still being present.
“It is likely that Mr Blackburn was working on the trees at the time, as he was catapulted into the air by the trees’ momentum. As he fell to the ground, Mr Blackburn struck a fence post then landed in a swampy area of the field.”
Coroner Ryan was satisfied Blackburn died as the unintended consequence of his own actions and that an inquiry was not required.
Shortly after his death MacIvor said Blackburn, her partner of 11 years, was a dedicated father who spent every spare minute he had with his daughters. “He was an awesome dad. He just doted on the girls. He would take our eldest daughter out to jobs. She just went everywhere with him. He was her best friend.”
Blackburn lived life to the fullest, always laughing and playing jokes on his mates.
He never took himself too seriously but respected everyone that crossed his path, and had recently gained his helicopter pilot’s licence, MacIvor said.
“He was a real character. He made friends easily. He really made an impact on people.”