Abstract: At 10:15 a.m. on July 13, 2012, an employee was cutting live trees for lumber. The employee had notched and cut two locust trees prior to the accident. The tree was roughly 1.5 feet in diameter at the base. The tree did not fall in the direction of the notch. The tree kicked back and struck the employee on the chest. The employee landed on the ground and the tree fell on top of him. Markings on the tree trunk indicated that the tree may have struck another tree as it fell. A lack of skid marks on the ground indicated that the tree did not slide backwards but instead was airborne. The employee was found underneath the tree with his chain saw nearby. The chain saw was still running. The employee was killed by blunt force trauma to the chest and head.