(4/23/99)
SOMIS, Calif. (AP) -- A ranch hand stuffing branches into a woodchipper was sucked into the whirling blades and killed.
Efrain Gonzales, 43, a father of three and longtime employee of Reiman Ranch, was feeding lemon tree branches into the mulching machine Thursday when he was pulled through the blades, Ventura County coroner investigator James Baroni said.
A co-worker helping Gonzales trim trees said he noticed a sudden shift in pitch in the steady hum of the industrial chipper and went to investigate. The machine is capable of shredding 16-inch logs.
``He didn't hear any screams or anything,'' Baroni said. ``He looked around and didn't see him, and wondered what happened, then noticed his remains.''
It wasn't known how Gonzales got caught in the machine.
``We don't know if he lost his balance and fell in or if a glove or clothing got caught on a branch,'' Baroni said, ``It's such a shame. He was so chipper this morning, too.''