Funeral Home Collects Donations for Family of Man Sucked Into Wood Chipper

Although the funeral for Darrin Shawn Needham, the owner of a Shelby Township tree trimming company who was June 26, has passed, the funeral home continues to collect donations and cards for his family.

After reading about the tragic accident at a private residence on 24 Mile and Mound roads, several Patch readers asked how they could donate money or send condolences to the family.

Anyone who would like to send the family a donation can address it to Sulivan and Son's Funeral Home at 8459 Hall Road, Utica, 48317. Write "In care of Darrin Shawn Needham," and the envolope will be forwarded to the family.

The 46-year-old Shelby Township resident, and owner of Good Fellas Tree Company at 25 Mile Road in Shelby Township, left behind two daugthers, and a grandchild, Connor Shawn.

Shelby Township Lt. Stan Muszynski said Needham was sucked into an industrial wood shredder as he placed tree branches inside while working at a private residence. A neighbor found him already dead around 9:30 p.m. His girlfriend and co-worker was with him at the job site when he died. 

The Detroit News reported, statistics from the American Medical Association show that between 1992 and 2002, there were 31 occupational injury deaths nationally caused by wood shredders, also known as wood chippers.