A former Royal Marine was killed in a horror accident after being struck on the head while cutting down a 120ft tree, a sheriff has ruled. Christopher Moses, 37, was working as a tree surgeon in the village of Rhu near Helensburgh, West Dunbartonshire.
The upper part of a tree he was working on separated from the lower half and fell in the opposite direction. Moses, a maths teacher, had been working at 30ft when he was struck on the head and briefly trapped between sections of the falling tree.
He was left hanging unconscious from a harness with blood pouring 'profusely' from his head. Two colleagues, James Fanning and Christopher Smith, said they heard a loud 'crack' moments before the fatal incident.
Emergency services raced to the scene but Moses, who qualified as a tree surgeon in 2013, could not be saved. A fatal accident inquiry into his death of January 2020 was held at Dumbarton Sheriff Court earlier this year.
Sheriff John Hamilton KC has now ruled his death could not have been prevented. In a written judgment, he said: "The reason that the upper section of the tree fell in the opposite direction than was intended is uncertain and impossible to categorically determine.
"In any event this upper section was approximately 30ft in length and a considerable weight. Christopher Moses would have had no opportunity to avoid being struck by it when it became detached as it did.
"Although he was wearing a helmet and appropriate protective equipment, the weight of the trunk and the force with which it struck him means that it would have been unlikely to offer much protection."
Sheriff Hamilton added: "I wish to express my sincere condolences to Christopher Moses's family and friends, specifically those who attended the hearing and followed the evidence with understandable care and attention."
Moses had started a new career as a maths teacher at the Vale of Leven Academy shortly before his death.
He had previously served for 13 years in the Royal Marines where he reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and had been part of tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Moses had also established his own firm known as Easy as One Two Tree.
Following his death, the headteacher at Vale of Leven Academy, Matthew Boyle said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Chris and everyone in the school is finding this difficult to comprehend. The thoughts of our whole school community are with Chris' family and friends at this devastating time."
Kevin Johnson, a friend, added: "He will leave a huge hole in the hearts of all who knew him. He was a very brave man who served his country as a Royal Marine, a professional and diligent tree surgeon and a newly qualified teacher, who was also a highly regarded tutor.
"Those who knew him will remember him as having wonderful integrity and spirit. He was the kind of person who would do anything for anyone. He was a young man in the prime of his life."
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