An Oregon homeowner was crushed to death Tuesday night by a 1,200-pound tree stump he was trying to remove from his backyard, in what authorities are calling a “catastrophic accident.”
The man, whose identity has not been released, set out to remove a tree stump from his home in Portland’s Russell neighborhood on Tuesday night, digging around it with his hands. According to The Oregonian.
However, the equipment the man was using suddenly malfunctioned, and “this tragic accident occurred.” fire officials told KATU.
He was then left on the half-ton stump overnight and was not discovered by his spouse until about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday.
Portland Fire Rescue responded to the scene and used a grip hoist to lift the man’s stump, but it was too late to save his life, The Oregonian reported.
It remains unclear how long the man was trapped under the giant tree stump before he died.
Portland Police are currently investigating the scene.
