Inn and Mühlviertel

Two men seriously injured while working in the forest

Forestry work is dangerous, as shown by two recent accidents (symbolic image)

(Bild: Manuel Schwaiger)

Working on living trees is always dangerous, as two serious forestry accidents within 24 hours in the Innviertel and Mühlviertel regions show: two forestry workers were hit by tree trunks and seriously injured.

At around 9.05 a.m. on Saturday, a 65-year-old man was carrying out logging work with a 48-year-old man from Lochen am See in the Kobernaußerwald forest in Munderfing in the area of the Bindergasse forest road. The 48-year-old was pulling a previously felled tree trunk with the cable winch of a tractor next to a forest road. The 65-year-old was on the forest road directly next to it.

Caught by the tree
He fell when leaving the forest road and was hit by the tree trunk. The man was injured to an indeterminate degree and was flown to Salzburg Accident Hospital by the "Europa 3" rescue helicopter after initial treatment.

Young forestry worker seriously injured
A 27-year-old forestry worker from Kirchberg ob der Donau was working on a steeply sloping piece of forest land in the open area of Nößlbach, municipality of Rohrbach, on Friday. At around 1.15 p.m., he connected two felled trees with a chain so that they could be pulled down with a harvester.

Tree trunks pulled away with a harvester
After the forestry worker gave the OK signal, the driver of the harvester pulled the tree trunks lying on the ground downwards. In the process, one of the tree trunks may have become wedged, turned and hit the forestry worker walking alongside on the body.

Head collided with tree
The 27-year-old was thrown away and hit his head against a tree trunk lying on the ground several meters away. The man was seriously injured and was taken to Rohrbach Hospital after receiving first aid from an emergency doctor.