Man killed in tree-cutting accident

UPDATE: (9:15 a.m. Monday) Troopers on Sunday morning identified the man killed in a tree-cutting accident Saturday in Palmer as 68-year-old Curtis D. Abbas. Next of kin has been notified. On Monday, troopers said Abbas was an Eagle River resident.

Original story:

PALMER — One man died after felling trees on a vacant lot in the Palmer Fishhook area Saturday afternoon.

The accident occurred at a property on Magnificent View Drive. Greater Palmer Fire and Rescue arrived on scene at about 3:15 p.m. on Saturday in response to a 911 call about a man pinned beneath a tree.

Assistant fire chief Todd Russell said the man was helping two or three other men clear trees for a new home to be built on the property. One of the other workers made the 911 call, Russell said.

Alaska State Trooper Lucas Hegg said the man appeared to have been cutting one birch tree down with a chainsaw, and as the tree fell, it apparently brought two more with it. All three trees fell on top of the man, and he was declared dead at the scene.

Trooper Nick Nigro said no one directly witnessed the incident, but that troopers ruled it an accident.

Nigro said the accident is a reminder to always be vigilant and take proper safety precautions.

“When you’ve got an equipment operator and nature, and someone was killed, you have to wonder: were there any safety measures that could have been taken that weren’t?”

Contact reporter Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.