Man killed in workplace accident in northern Manitoba: RCMP

Manitoba RCMP Headquarters in Winnipeg, Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

A 50-year-old man is dead following a workplace accident in Snow Lake on Canada Day.

According to RCMP, officers saw a helicopter land in the parking lot of the community’s health centre during Canada Day celebrations. A 21-year-old man exited the helicopter and was trying to get the attention of staff inside. When RCMP approached, the 21-year-old told them a man was inside the helicopter with life-threatening injuries.

RCMP said the 21-year-old and the 50-year-old were part of a four-person crew working for a mining company in the area and were working at a remote site clearing trees to create a helicopter landing zone.

RCMP said one of the workers was cutting down a tree when it fell in a different direction than intended and hit the 50-year-old man, who died from his injuries in hospital.

Both RCMP and Manitoba Workplace Health and Safety are investigating.

It is the third workplace death RCMP have investigated in the past month.

In Portage la Prairie, a 25-year-old man fell to his death while working as a roofer on June 15. On June 16, a 68-year-old man died in the RM of Stanley after being entangled in machinery at a commercial farming business.