APPLE VALLEY, MN — A 34-year-old man has been charged with second-degree manslaughter after prosecutors say he was playing a shadow game with a hydraulic grapple and accidentally crushed a coworker's head at a Dakota County tree-trimming job site.
Christopher Boone Crimmins, of Brainerd, was charged Friday with one count of second-degree manslaughter, culpable negligence creating unreasonable risk, according to the criminal complaint filed in Dakota County District Court.
Apple Valley police officers responded Aug. 20 to a report of an injured victim and a hydraulic grapple on the back of a truck involved in trimming trees in the area, the complaint states.
Officers arrived to find 26-year-old Tyler Anthony Lynch of Royalton on the ground with a significant amount of blood around him and significant trauma to his head. Lynch was declared dead at the scene.
Crimmins told officers he and Lynch, both employed by the tree-trimming service, had arrived in Apple Valley a few hours earlier from a job in Plymouth.
Crimmins said he is the only member of the crew with a commercial driver's license, so he was driving and operating the truck's boom.
Crimmins was operating the boom from his seat while Lynch worked on the ground cleaning up branches, according to the complaint.
He told officers he and Lynch were "f**king around" and noticed sunlight casting shadows of the grapple and of Lynch onto the street.
Crimmins maneuvered the grapple while watching the shadows, making it appear as though the grapple's shadow was grabbing Lynch's shadow.
In doing so, the complaint states, Crimmins was not looking at the actual grapple or at Lynch, and did not see the grapple moving toward Lynch's head.
He then closed the grapple, crushing Lynch's head.
A witness saw the grapple come over toward Lynch and either hit or pinch his head, causing the significant injury and trauma, the complaint states.
Officers observed blood on the grapple directly above where Lynch had been standing.
Crimmins was detained, and bail was later set at $40,000 without conditions or $20,000 with conditions.
Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena thanked the Apple Valley Police Department for its investigation.
"My deepest condolences to Mr. Lynch's family members and friends, and all those affected by his death," Keena said in a statement.
Crimmins is next scheduled to appear in court Sept. 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Hastings.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Apple Valley Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.