BUCKSPORT, Maine — A logger working off Williams Pond Road was carried to safety late Tuesday afternoon after he was struck by a rolling log.
The logger, whose name was not immediately available, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center for treatment of injuries that were not considered life threatening, Bucksport Fire Chief Craig Bowden said early Tuesday evening.
The accident happened about 3:45 p.m., when the logger who had been hauling trees with a skidder got off the machine and a log rolled onto him, Bowden said.
The man was able to call for help with his cellphone, which also helped pinpoint his location, about a mile off Route 15, Bowden said.
Complicating the rescue was that the injured man was located about a quarter mile into the woods, the fire chief said. He said that public safety personnel strapped him to a long board that then was placed in a Stokes basket.
Rescuers worked in teams of eight to carry the logger out of the woods to Williams Pond Road, where an ambulance was waiting, Bowden said.
He added that the going was particularly rough because of Tuesday’s frigid temperatures, a layer of freshly fallen snow and steep, rocky terrain.
The area where the man was injured also was inaccessible by ATV and truck because of slash piles, and that a helicopter couldn’t be brought in because of electrical transmission lines.
Rescuers managed to get the man to safety just before dark, Bowden said.