A Dahlonega man was killed, and another man injured in a tree cutting accident in North Hall late Thursday afternoon. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) says it happened about 5:00 in the 6100 block of River Run Circle.
Deputies were dispatched to the scene of the accident where they found Bryan Timothy Abercrombie, 67, of Dahlonega, suffering from traumatic injuries. Abercrombie was taken a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The second man suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the investigation, the two men were cutting down a tree on a creek bank. Mr. Abercrombie was operating a come-along tool while the other man was cutting the tree. The tree fell and a section of it struck Abercrombie, catapulting him off the 15-foot creek bank and into a ravine.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: Wikipedia describes a come-along tool, also known as a power puller, as a hand-operated winch with a ratchet that is used to pull objects. A similar tool that uses a nylon strap is used to straighten trees, as it straightens gradually over time, therefore not splitting the trunk.)