BETHEL — Authorities say the owner of a western Maine tree cutting company has died in a wood chipper accident.

Police say 60-year-old Sam Chapman of Bethel was cleaning the interior of a chipper on Sunday morning when a three-foot long, crescent-shaped metal shield came off and punctured his chest.

Police say he was lending the chipper to two people and was showing them how to operate and clean it.

Oxford County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Hart Daley tells the Sun Journal that Chapman remained conscious and alert in the moments after the accident but died before a medical helicopter could fly him to a hospital.

Chapman owned Chapman’s Tree Services and was also an avid golfer and a popular local songwriter and musician who often performed in the area.