By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A 47-year-old man from Longview was killed in a logging accident this morning in the woods in the northwest corner of Lewis County .
Aid was called about 9:20 a.m. when a man working with a small crew was injured in an area in between Adna and Lincoln Creek, according to Riverside Fire Authority.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office said a link from a saw on the piece of equipment he was operating flew through the safety glass and struck him in the head.
He is identified as Michael Messner. The sheriff’s office initially listed his age as 43. He was working for C and C Logging out of Longview.
It happened off of Weyerhaeuser 621 Road, off of Ingalls Road, according to sheriff’s Cmdr. Steve Aust.
They were thinning trees on Weyerhaeuser property, Aust said.
The site was remote enough and road signs scarce enough it took some exploring and about 30 minutes to for the fire department and aid to navigate the roughly six miles from Ingalls Road to the scene, Riverside Assistant Chief Mike Kytta said.
Unfortunately, the man succumbed to his injuries before aid arrived, he said.
A co-worker with spotty cell phone coverage was talking with 911 and guiding them in, Kytta said.
“He stayed on the cell phone and helping the worker and trying to give directions at the same time,” Kytta said. “A very heroic fellow for doing what he did.”
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This news story was updated Friday Aug. 13, 2010 at 12:10 p.m. The logger’s age was initially reported by the sheriff’s office as younger.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter