Owners and operators of heavy special equipment should take note of a recent court case from the Amur Region. An attempt to free a stranded machine from difficult terrain led not only to downtime, but also to the loss of ownership rights to the equipment. The court decided to confiscate the excavator after the operator's actions caused serious damage to the forest fund.
The story began during geological exploration work in the territory of the Bureya forestry district. A heavy ZOOMLION ZE360E excavator became bogged down in marshy soil. The situation required an immediate solution, and the operator began trying to rescue the machine on his own.
Using the bucket, the man tried to create support and pull the equipment out. However, the maneuvers of the tracked machine led to trees being knocked down. During the skidding and bucket operation, 39 cubic meters of valuable timber species were destroyed. The area of the damaged site amounted to about 0.8 hectares.
Environmental specialists and experts assessed the damage done to nature at 342.3 thousand rubles. Under current legislation, this amount exceeds the threshold for administrative liability and falls into the category of "especially large scale." In connection with this, the case was moved into the criminal category.
The investigation established a key point: the operator did not have a permit for logging or timber harvesting. His actions were classified as illegal logging, despite the fact that the goal was specifically to save the equipment rather than to obtain timber.
At the hearing, the defendant fully admitted his guilt. The court took these arguments into account; however, the sentence remained harsh with regard to the property. The operator received a three-year suspended prison sentence. As for the ZOOMLION excavator itself, it was recognized as an instrument of the crime and was subject to confiscation in favor of the state.
Read more materials on the topic:
- Terror of the quarries: a tracked excavator from UMG received a KAMAZ engine and learned to dig to 16 meters
- The first in 30 years: a road-construction equipment manufacturing plant has appeared in Ivanovo
- With a powerful turbine and a 480-hp engine: the TKM 727S vacuum excavator was created in Tver