MOULTRIE, GA (WALB) -
A Moultrie tree surgeon is recovering after his equipment failed, slamming him against a tree.
It happened Tuesday morning while Mark Hall was up a tree clearing a damaged pine.
Hall was several feet up a pine tree harnessed to another pine when his lanyard belt gave way. He ended up slamming back first into another pine and had to be flown to hospital.
Hallmark tree service was back out at the scene Thursday on Jacqueline Circle.
"He said his lanyard around the tree came undone," said his son-in-law Richard Blackburn. "He was going to hug the tree and it came back and hit him in the head. It was tied to a tree behind so he swung and instead hitting the ground he swung and hit the tree."
Hall was airlifted to Medical Center of Central Georgia with serious injuries including three fractured vertebrae.
"One they had to take out and put an artificial one in. But he can move his legs and arms. He can feel everything," said Blackburn.
Considering the height of the tree, this kind of accident could have proven deadly.
The owner of another tree removal service came out and took down the ropes left behind after the accident. It's a reminder of just how dangerous a profession this can be.
Hall's son-in-law says he underwent surgery, and while it will be a long road to recovery right now he's needs a lot of prayers.
According to U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 60 tree specialists are killed on the job every year.
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