PERRYVILLE MAN DIES AFTER BRANCH FROM TREE HITS HIM

PERRYVILLE -- A 42-year-old Perryville man died Sunday afternoon from injuries sustained while cutting down a tree.

Richard A. "Stone" Courtois Jr. was pronounced dead at Perry County Memorial Hospital a short while after the 4 p.m. accident.

He was a self-employed logger and sawmill operator. Courtois was cutting down trees in an area outside Perryville.

The accident occurred when one tree landed on another and a branch on the second tree broke off, striking Courtois in the head, a spokeswoman for the Perry County Sheriff's Department said.

Courtois was taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Survivors include a son and daughter who live in Silver Spring, Md.