Man taken to hospital by helicopter after being struck by tree in Allegheny Township

A man was transported to a hospital by medical helicopter for treatment Monday morning after he was hit in the head by a tree that was being cut down in a heavily wooded area of Allegheny Township, according to authorities.

Emergency responders were dispatched about 9:30 a.m. to the 1500 block of Lucesco Road after the 18-year-old was struck, according to Allegheny Township police Chief Duane Fisher.

Fisher, who responded to the scene along with Cpl. Mark Junod, said the man was part of a three-person crew of Amish from the Punxsutawney area who were hired to clear timber on private property.

“One of the other loggers found him unconscious next to the tree,” Fisher said. “We don’t know if he was hit by the tree itself or part of it. He was trying to move and make some noises while we were talking to him, but he was unable to communicate with us the whole time we were with him.”

Fisher said there were two crews working in the woods and knew each other, but they were not involved in the same project.

One of the crew’s supervisors had a cellphone and was able to call 911 for help, he said.

Fisher said getting to the victim was difficult because he was surrounded by thick underbrush.

Once he was stabilized by paramedics, they were able to carry him several hundred feet out of the woods to an ambulance that took him to a medical helicopter that was waiting in a nearby field, Fisher said.

The man, whose identity was not released, was taken to UPMC Presbyterian for treatment of head and other injuries.

The area is mostly residential properties located near the Kiski River.