Falling tree kills Indiana ATV rider
Vic Ryckaert, vic.ryckaert@indystar.com 8:12 a.m. EDT June 17, 2016
(Photo: Indiana Conservation Officer Jet Quillen)
A Shelbyville, IN man using an ATV to gather firewood died Thursday when a large tree fell on him in Morgan County.
Robert C. Blacker, 28, was using an ATV to pull and remove logs and branches in a wooded area in the 3300 block of South Conservation Club Road in Morgantown when a large tree fell on top of him at about 7:40 p.m., according to a news release from the Department of Natural Resources, Division of Law Enforcement.
"Mr. Blacker was visiting a friend and helping gather wood and limbs," Indiana Conservation Officer Jet Quillen said. "While pulling out a large bundle of limbs with the ATV, a portion of a large tree appeared to break and fall on top of Blacker."
Blacker did not appear to be pulling the tree that fell, Quillen said. Investigators were not sure what cause the tree to come down.
Police said Blacker was not wearing a helmet or protective gear.