During woodwork

57-year-old man hit and injured by a branch

A man was hit and injured by a falling branch while felling trees (symbolic image).(Bild: Ronny - stock.adobe.com (Symbolbild))

The accident happened on Thursday morning. The 57-year-old man was working in a forest near Kaisersdorf (Oberpullendorf district). 

He was felling trees alone. However, some branches got caught in the process. Suddenly, one of them fell and crashed onto the man's back. The 57-year-old was thrown to the ground.

Man injured to an undetermined degree
The man only just managed to contact a friend by phone. This set the rescue chain in motion. The emergency services were deployed. After the 57-year-old received emergency medical treatment at the scene, he was taken to Wiener Neustadt Hospital by the Christophorus 3 emergency helicopter. The fire department was also involved in the rescue work. 

More and more forestry accidents in Austria
Almost 200 people have died in forestry accidents in Austria in the past six years. That is an average of three deaths per month. In 17 percent of cases, the victims are killed by falling branches.