Michael Schuls was killed after an industrial accident. His organs were given to seven or eight people, including his mother (Picture: Gofundme)
A teenager in Wisconsin donated his organs after his death in an industrial lumber accident earlier this month.
Michael Schuls, 16, died after a tragic workplace accident at a lumber paning mill in the small town of Florence, Wisconsin.
Sheriff’s deputies and first responders arrived at Florence Hardwoods around 6.50am on Thursday, June 29 after reports of an unresponsive 16-year-old employee.
They arrived to find Schuls, caught in an industrial wood-stacking machine.
Surveillance footage reviewed by the sheriff’s office revealed that Schuls stepped on to a conveyor belt to unjam the wood-stacking machine. However, he did not press the machine’s emergency shut-off button before stepping up.
Schuls remained trapped in the machine for a full 17 minutes before another employee found him.
Schuls was rushed to a local hospital, then transferred to Milwaukee Children’s Hospital on life support. Days later, authorities reported he died from his extensive injuries.
‘We sadly report that the teen has succumbed to his injuries from this industrial accident and passed away on July 1,’ the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
His cause of death was ruled as traumatic asphyxiation, which was caused by the wood-stacking machine, Florence County Coroner Jeff Rickaby confirmed.
His father, Jim Schuls, told WBAY that his son donated his organs after his death, and one of his benefactors was his own mother.
‘Lucky enough his mom was the perfect match for his liver, and 7 or 8 other families received life,’ Schuls told the local station. ‘He delivered the miracle we prayed for for 7 other families, including his mother. That’s what’s keeping me going.’
‘I can’t even put a word on it he’s touched more people than I can ever imagine,’ his father said.
Before his death, Michael attended Florence High School, where he played football, basketball, baseball, and soccer, an online obituary said.
His father Jim called Michael ‘a true son of Florence.’ He is survived by his parents, as well as 11 brothers and sisters.
Local police closed an investigation into the incident after they determined the work he was doing was legal under Wisconsin law.
Earlier this year, Republicans in the Badger State passed a law that expanded the types of work teenagers as young as 14 are allowed to do – including working in some industrial settings, on night shifts, and serving alcohol in bars and restaurants.
Minors are still prohibited from working in sawmills, but are allowed to work in planing mills that produce finished lumber products, like Florence Hardwoods.
A federal investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is still ongoing.
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