14-year-old Virginia Boy Killed in Wood Chipper

A Virginia teen was killed Saturday while using a wood chipper that he ended up being pulled into.

The 14-year-old Frank Gornick was working in Hampton Roads for a company owned by his guardian.

Gornick and two other employees were shoveling debris into a chipper. The two workers were away from the machine at the time when Gornick was pulled in. When they suddenly heard a weird sound coming from the chipper they hurried over and tried to help the boy.

The young boy was pronounced dead at the scene.

It is unknown whether Gornick was an actual employee for Robert Strickland’s company or not. Under Virginia child labor laws, people under 18 are not allowed to use “any power driven woodworking machines.” As of now, charges have not been filed but an autopsy report could change that.

Strickland took the boy in after his parents died.