A father tragically discovered his missing son dead following a freak wood chipper accident at his workplace.
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Josh Thomson-Parkin, 26, was found by his father, Max, at a worksite in the Adelaide Hills, Australia, on Tuesday, August 11.
Concerns began to grow after Josh's wife, Mekayla, raised the alarm when he failed to return home from work.
The tragedy came just four months after the couple got married.
Father Makes Horrific Discovery After Wood Chipper Accident
Following the devastating discovery, Max opened up about finding his son inside the machinery.
"I found him in that machine," he told 7NEWS. "It got clogged up and he was in the barrel cleaning it out and the barrel's fallen on him ... crushed him."
Max revealed that Josh had spoken to him the previous night about experiencing problems with the machine. This was while working for Mechanical Vegetation Solutions.
When Mekayla became concerned after her husband failed to return home by 4:30 a.m., Max immediately thought to check his son's worksite.
"He was having a chat on the couch with me Monday night about the machine that he died in," Max added. "It was giving him a hard time all that day. It was doing his head in."
Family Questions Circumstances Surrounding Workplace Death
In the aftermath of his son's death, Max has questioned why Josh was apparently working alone around dangerous machinery.
"I don't understand. His boss should have found him, not me," he said. "Why were there no workers there to make sure he finished work?"
Josh's mother, Tanya Thomson, also spoke about the devastating moment the family learned what had happened.
"His dad went and found him," she said. "I reckon for the next two hours, I was just walking around the house repeating the word 'No' — 'No, no, no, no, no.' "
Josh's employer released a statement following the tragedy, extending its "sincere condolences to Josh's family, friends and loved ones, and to everyone affected by this tragic loss."
"Our immediate priority is supporting those impacted by Josh's passing in this incredibly difficult time."
SafeWork SA has launched an investigation into the fatal workplace incident.
Officials said inspectors are "making further inquiries and assessing the circumstances surrounding the incident."
South Australia Police are also preparing a report for the coroner as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding Josh's death.
