Aussie dad learns his son is dead after showing up at his workplace: 'Worst nightmare'

Published: 07:50, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 07:50, 13 August 2026 An Adelaide father has spoken about the horrifying moment he discovered his newlywed son had been killed during a workplace incident on Tuesday. Max Parkin said he realised something had happened to his 26-year-old son Josh when he hadn't returned home to complete Tuesday night's census. The next morning, Mr Parkin raced to Josh's worksite in Charleston, near Lobethal, and tragically found his son's body. It's understood Josh had been operating a large tree chipper used to pull trees and logs apart at the worksite. 'His dad went and found him,' Josh's mum Tanya Thomson told The Advertiser. 'I reckon for the next two hours, I was just walking around the house repeating the word "No, no, no, no, no, no."' 'We've all been waiting to wake up from this nightmare for the last two days.' Ms Thomson, who will now drive up to the worksite to identify his body, described her beloved son as 'empathetic to a fault.' Josh Parkin, 26, has been identified as the man killed in a workplace incident in the Adelaide Hills on Tuesday His concerned father found his body at his worksite in Charleston on Wednesday morning  Josh had just married his high school sweetheart Mekayla Jane in April 'He had a fantastic work ethic, which ended up costing him his life. He was quirky, funny, loving. He just loved people – he would give anyone the shirt off his back,' she said. 'I’m hoping that I just get to touch his skin one last time. That's all I want.'  The tragedy comes just months after Josh married his high school sweetheart Mekayla Jane.  The couple were believed to have been 'almost inseparable' since they met as babies. SafeWork SA is now investigating the cause of his death.  If this story has affected you, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14