Tree surgeon killed in horrifying accident after chainsaw slices into his neck

A tree surgeon has been killed by his own chainsaw after the tool “kicked back” into his neck.

Gregery Bulbuc (COR), 31, died in the horrific accident in Bermondsey, south east London, while trimming a tree in a private back yard.

The dad-of-one, originally from Romania, worked for Aralia Tree Services and was a week away from celebrating his 32nd birthday when tragedy struck.

His work colleagues slammed a ladder against the tree and desperately raced up it to try to bring him down.

He was said to have been left dangling from his rope following the incident but paramedics who arrived at the scene were unable to save him.

A neighbour who called 999 said she saw Bulbuc “slumped over and hanging”.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, added: “I’d come out about twenty minutes earlier and I had heard the noise of the chainsaw. But you could tell it wasn’t cutting anything, it was just on.

“It was either wrapped around him or hanging from the tree or something, but it was just making that noise.

“It wasn’t making contact with anything. I couldn’t see any blood, I didn’t have my glasses on. I just saw him hanging from the tree.

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“I thought he had been electrocuted or something, but I thought he was dead.

“I think his head was still attached to his body.”

Another witness told the Evening Standard: “I saw them giving him CPR and blood. It is very serious.”

Gregery’s brother Ioan Bulbuc, 27, who also works as a tree surgeon, paid tribute to his “perfect” sibling, who was the father of a one-year-old son.

Fighting back tears, he said: “He was always so happy. He was so happy to have a little boy.

“Gregery’s birthday was next week, he was such a happy person.”

Ioan added: “The police have told me nothing. His boss has told me that he cut something and the chainsaw kicked back.

“It rebounded onto the neck and he didn’t fall down at first because of the rope.”

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “Police were called to Banyard Road in Bermondsey at 11.11am on Wednesday, February 15 to reports of an injured man.

“Officers, the London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended. A man, believed to be in his 30s, suffered a neck injury.

“He was pronounced dead at the scene. Next of kin have been informed.

“This is believed to be a workplace accident and the Health and Safety Executive will be informed in due course.”

Top pic: SWNS