Loving father killed when his chainsaw 'kicked back' at work

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A tree surgeon killed in a tragic chainsaw accident was a loving father who worked the dangerous job to provide for his young family, relatives said today.

Gregery Bulbuc, 31, was left dangling from his rope 20ft in the air after the blade “kicked back” into his neck while trimming a tree in a back garden in Bermondsey.

The Romanian worker who was employed by Aralia Tree Services had a one-year-old son and was a week from celebrating his 32nd birthday.

Emergency services battled to rescue him and save his life but was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 11am yesterday.

Detectives have launched an investigation alongside the Health and Safety Executive, which sent inspectors to Banyard Road, a quiet backstreet of £700,000 terraced homes near Southpark Park.

Jelena Skutane shared a series of pictures of her partner of three years on social media as hundreds of friends and relatives posted messages in his memory. 

Ms Skutane said: “You’ve always been in our hearts, we love you so much. 

“Hope you will see how your son grow up. Greg hope we been longer time together like a family. Love you to bits.” 

Her sister Linda wrote: “It’s so painful when you know person of our family is gone forever and this person never gonna come back. 

“We miss him already, we loved him so much and we still love him. He was a good father for his child. But now he’s gone.”

Mr Bulbuc’s cousin Danut, who lives in Chicago, told the Standard he moved to London in 2001 He said: “He was always a kind man but with the birth of his son he’d just started to take life seriously. 

“He worked for his son and his wife, wanted to provide the best for them, and he really tried, working a very dangerous job.”

Danut said he grown up with Mr Bulbuc before they both left Romania after leaving school.

He said: “I’m still shocked to hear about this horrible tragedy, I’m speechless.

“He was a loving, hard-working father who loved his wife and son. I really hope this is a nightmare and I’m still waiting to wake up.”

Mr Bulbuc’s younger brother Ioan, 27, also a tree surgeon, said he had worked in the industry for around a decade.

He said that their parents, who had recently visited the house they shared in Beckton, east London, were struggling with the news of their eldest son’s death.

A spokesman for the HSE said it was aware of the death and officers are assisting the Met in their investigation.