Fatal accidents are a tragic but real events that occur all too frequently in the state of Pennsylvania. Some of these incidents happen in the Pittsburgh area or elsewhere in western Pennsylvania. This past weekend a Pennsylvania man lost his life as he worked to cut down a tree.

The fatal accident took place in Center Township, a community located to the east of Pittsburgh.

The 30-year-old man who died was apparently positioned approximated 18 feet above the ground, using a chainsaw, when the saw became stuck in the branch he was attempting to cut. When initial efforts to remove the chainsaw were not effective, the man, and his uncle who was working with him, decided to try to dislodge it by pulling it out.

The victim and his uncle attached one end of a chain to the chainsaw and the other to a tractor on the ground below. When the tractor moved forward, rather than pull the saw free, the tractor pulled the branch in which the saw was lodged, down. Unfortunately, the branch fell upon the man who was at that point no longer positioned in three, but instead somewhere on the ground.

Sadly, the man died before medical assistance was able to transport him to an area hospital. The cause of his death is reportedly blunt force trauma to his head.

Situations where someone dies due to the negligence of another, wrongful death lawsuits are a possibility. While these cases are often complicated, they become even more so when other individuals involved are family members. While it is unclear whether negligence on the part of the victim's uncle had anything to do with the man's death, if it did, such a lawsuit may be appropriate.

Source: KDKA, "Indiana Co. Man Killed In Tree-Cutting Accident," Feb. 25, 2013