Danube man falls 15 feet from bucket after pole he cut hits him

A man was seriously injured after he fell 15 feet out of a skid loader bucket when he was hit by a pole he had just cut.

William Voelz, 66, of Danube, was flown from the scene to a trauma center with serious injuries following the accident, according to a press release from the Renville County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies responded just after 10 a.m. to the 29000 block of 840th Ave, northeast of Danube, to a report of a male who had fallen 15 feet and landed on his neck. First responders discovered Voelz on the ground near a skid loader when they arrived on the scene.

Preliminary investigation showed Voelz was standing in the bucket of the skid loader attempting to cut down a pole.  Investigators say the pole hit Voelz when it was cut, knocking him out of the bucket and causing him to fall 15 feet.