Automotive technician killed by falling tree is Michigan's 21st workplace death of 2026

An automotive technician died after being struck by a tree while recovering a vehicle in Houghton Lake earlier this month, state officials said. 

On July 7, the 38-year-old worker was attempting to recover a vehicle that was stuck in a wooded area when a strap secured around a dead tree caused it to fall, striking the worker, according to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

No further information was released.   

MIOSHA reports that the automotive technician's death is the 21st workplace death in 2026 and the fifth in 30 days. On July 1, a laborer was working in a trench about 10 feet deep in Livingston County, tying down an industrial storage tank, when the trench collapsed, trapping him. 

MIOSHA investigated 46 workplace-related deaths in Michigan in 2025.