Arborist found dangling from tree with chainsaw still running flown to Harborview
An arborist who was found dangling from a tree west of The Evergreen State College campus on Monday was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for care, according to McLane/Black Lake Fire Department.
The man’s medical status on Tuesday was not available.
About 3:50 p.m. Monday, fire crews were dispatched to the 5100 block of 26th Lane Northwest after a report of a man who appeared to be unconscious about 75 feet in the air, said Capt. Casey Sobol.
The man had been removing tree limbs when one of them fell and hit him in the head, Sobol said. The blow was hard enough that it cracked his helmet. He also was using a chainsaw that was still running.
Although the man was first reported to be unconscious, he started to come around after fire crews arrived, Sobol said. He also said the man had the appropriate equipment on, which prevented him from falling to the ground.
McLane/Black Lake Fire has “tree technicians,” Sobol said. One of them climbed the tree and secured the chainsaw, then they rigged a rope system to lower the man to the ground. The man was conscious, but struggling to communicate, Sobol said.
The staging area for the medical helicopter took place on the Evergreen campus.
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 12:04 PM.
