Victim in Stump Grinder Mishap Was a Marine

The victim killed in a freak accident with a stump grinder in Portsmouth last week was a Marine who served in Iraq.

Matthew Morasse, 43, of Rochester, was a worker for Urban Tree Service Co. in Rochester. He was doing landscaping work at a home on Gosport Road when he had an accident with the grinder, authorities said.

Morasse had a fiance and a son, according to his obituary.

He was born in Nashua and graduated from Kingswood High School in Wolfeboro. He served in the Marine Corps and served in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Authorities said he died from trauma to his body.

Industrial stump grinders like the one involved in Thursday's fatal accident have a powerful cutting wheel the size of a car tire. The spiked wheel spins extremely fast, shredding wood as the operator sweeps it through the stump.

He was using the grinder by himself at the time of the accident, authorities said.

"This was a tragic accident and we are all trying to understand how to cope with it," company president Ed Hopkins said in a statement. "I would like to extend our deepest sympathies and support to the family."

Authorities on Friday were still trying to figure out exactly how the accident happened. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the incident. The agency can fine companies for such industrial accidents if there's evidence of negligence.