Large tree limb falls, kills man while he was cleaning up yard
IVA, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) - A man was killed Friday in South Carolina by a large tree limb that fell on him.
The Anderson County Coroner’s Office said the incident happened on Reece Haynie Road at around 1:50 p.m.
The victim was identified by the coroner’s office as 58-year-old Alan Leland Smith.
Smith was chopping smaller branches that were scattered on the ground when the larger limb fell from the top of a tree and hit him, investigators believe.
The coroner said the tree was old and deteriorated, so there is no way to tell if the limb that fell was due to Thursday’s storms or if it occurred naturally.
Smith was alone on the property at the time, the coroner said. Smith’s wife could not get in touch with him for several hours, so she eventually drove to the property and found him dead.
The coroner said the victim suffered traumatic injuries secondary to blunt force trauma. Smith’s death was ruled accidental.
The coroner believes Smith died instantly because the victim did not try to call anyone for help.
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