MAN HOSPITALIZED AFTER TREE TOP HITS HIM

JACKSON -- A Jackson man was hospitalized in serious condition after part of a tree fell on him Sunday as he was attempting to cut it down.

Injured was Nelson O. Sebastian, 57. The accident occurred at about 1:40 p.m. in a woods along Cape Girardeau County Road 343.

Authorities with the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department said Sebastian was cutting a large tree with a chain saw when the top portion of the tree fell, pinning him against the ground and trunk of the tree.

After being pinned for about 30 minutes, rescue workers were able to free Sebastian, authorities said. He was taken by helicopter to St. Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau. A hospital spokesperson said Sunday night Sebastian was in serious condition.

Assistant Chief Paul Kesterson of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, which assisted with the rescue, said the portion of the tree that fell on Sebastian was 12 to 15 feet long and weighed 300 to 400 pounds. He estimated it to be 24 to 36 inches around.

"This wasn't just a limb," Kesterson said.

Authorities said they believe the movement of the chain saw on the trunk of the tree caused the upper portion to fall, Kesterson said. The tree was dead, he explained.

Kesterson said someone witnessed the accident and called an ambulance.