POWNAL — A 5-year-old boy of Pownal died Sunday afternoon while playing in a hole created by an uprooted tree on Merrill Road.
According to information released by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, the tree had blown over in last week’s windstorm and created a hole. The boy’s grandfather, using a chainsaw to remove the tree, cut about ten feet above the roots causing the tree to kick back into position. The boy was playing under the roots of the tree when it returned to a standing position. He was crushed under the weight of the trunk.
After some time the boy’s grandfather realized he had not seen the boy or his sister and began to look for them. He saw a portion of the boy’s sweatshirt under the tree roots and tried to dig the boy out. Family members called the Pownal Fire Department at about 1:43 p.m. on Sunday.
When they arrived, Pownal Fire Chief Richard Hogue and firefighter Robert Ginn used a pick-up truck and chains to remove the tree from the boy.
He was taken to Maine Medical Center in Portland but was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Amy Anderson can be reached at 781-3661 ext, 110 or aanderson@theforecaster.net
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