# South Bend, IN man killed by falling tree...



## Polycop (Oct 11, 2008)

http://www.wsbt.com/news/local/30828874.html

Man killed by falling tree in South Bend yard
By ERIN BLASKO, Tribune Staff Writer
Emergency personnel responded to a home on Edison Road in South Bend after a tree fell on a man and killed him on Friday, October 10, 2008. (Tribune Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Oct 11, 2008 at 12:11 AM EDT

Story Updated: Oct 11, 2008 at 12:19 AM EDT 

SOUTH BEND – A man was killed Friday when a tree he was cutting down fell on him, police said.

About 5:41 p.m., Portage Township firefighters responded to a home in the 22900 block of West Edison Road, just west of ####inson Middle School, where they found a 79-year-old South Bend man pinned beneath the trunk of a large tree behind the home, county police spokesman Sgt. William Redman said.

Several firefighters lifted the tree off of the man, but he was already dead, Redman said.

By the way the man was positioned beneath the tree, it appeared he had been bent over cutting it and it fell directly on his back, crushing him, Redman said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was the homeowner’s brother.

Bob Danner, a neighbor, said the man had been felling and splitting trees in the yard for a little more than a month, and had nearly been hit by one on a previous occasion.

According to Redman, the man had been working in the backyard most of the day Friday. Around midday, he said, the man went home for lunch.

Later in the afternoon, Redman said, the man’s wife went to check on him after he never returned home. She found him beneath the tree and called police.

Danner said he had been home since about 1:30 p.m. and never heard a thing. He said about 3 p.m. he saw the homeowner and his wife drive off, leaving the man alone in the backyard.

The spot where the tree fell on the man was about 100 yards behind the home, on the outskirts of a sparse grove of tall trees.

Redman said the tree was large enough that a deputy on the scene could not quite get his arms around it.

Staff writer Erin Blasko: [email protected] (574) 235-6187


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## ray benson (Oct 12, 2008)

It's a shame. Says something for working alone. Be safe!


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