Jefferson County Coroner Roger Hayse says a 42-year-old Mt. Vernon man was killed Tuesday night when struck by a large tree limb that he was cutting up in his backyard.
Hayse says the tree at the Christopher Ellis home was already on the ground and Ellis was beginning to cut up the upper tree branches when the accident occurred.
He reports one of the branches in a V shape was stuck in the ground holding up part of the tree. After it was cut, the branch collapsed with that portion of the tree striking Ellis or rolling over him.
When emergency help arrived, Ellis was not trapped by the tree but was lying between the branches creating the ‘V’. Efforts to revive him at the scene were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead by the coroner.
Ellis was found by his wife who had been inside the home when the incident occurred.
Both Hayse and Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard said there were no signs of foul play.
Hayse said the cause of death was determined to be trauma to the right shoulder and chest area.
No autopsy will be completed.
