A Roane County man is in the hospital after he was trapped under a tree.

Crews with the Roane County Highway Department were cutting down damaged trees from the storm when it happened.  According to Road Superintendent Dennis Ferguson, Scott Martin was injured while cutting down a tree near the entrance of Camp Buck Toms in Rockwood.

Several people witnessed the accident and rushed to help, including three people in the medical field.

“He was getting ready to cut that tree down and the top broke… like this in the road,” said Dr. Robert Lee Wilson.

Wilson went on to say, “And he went over here and notched it and on the backside, started cutting it.”

But the weight of the top pushed it back the other way and fell on Martin.

 

“He was trying to get out from underneath it,” said Jenny Hinds, a registered nurse who also just happened to be walking through the area.

“My first instinct was to see if he was actually still alive and if he was able to talk. Then his hand was trapped underneath another tree so me and the other guys who were there, we sawed the tree and tried to get relief to his hand,” Hinds said.

Dr. Wilson has practiced medicine for 51 years. He added, “I had nothing to work with but my hands, just to check him over. Nothing else we could do but try to keep his head stable.”

An ambulance with Roane County Office of Emergency Services took Martin to the Roane County Health Department. UT LIFESTAR then flew Martin to UT Medical Center.

According to Ferguson, this is the department’s first accident in the three years he has been road superintendent.

Ferguson said doctors were assessing Martin’s injuries. We will keep you updated on his condition.

Crews still have hundreds of trees to clear around Roane County.  (WBIR-TV)