Daughter of crushed forestry man overwhelmed by support
THE DAUGHTER of a forestry worker badly injured when he was crushed by a falling tree in Glen Loy, near Fort William, last week, says she has been overwhelmed by people’s support following her dad’s accident.
Tree surgeon David Munro was seriously hurt when the 100ft tree fell and crushed him during logging operations on Friday.
Mr Munro, 52, is believed to have been in the process of felling the tree, when it rolled off its stump and trapped him.
He sustained serious pelvic and leg injuries and the incident saw a massive rescue operation triggered involving a range of emergency services, including a Coastguard helicopter.
Seventeen members of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (LMRT) joined ambulance and police personnel at the scene of the incident.
Mr Munro received emergency first aid before being winched into the helicopter and flown to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, where he has already undergone operations in preparation for a transfer to a hospital in Glasgow, closer to his home.
Mr Munro works with his family firm, Heather Country Services, based at Glendaruel in Argyll, which provides tree maintenance services, and will be well-known in the foresty industry in Lochaber.
This week, Heather Munro, from Otter Ferry in Argyll, confirmed her dad was now conscious and slowly improving.
‘The nurses say he is doing well and the plan is for him to be moved to a hospital nearer home soon,’ Heather told the Lochaber Times.
‘We are obviously just so very, very grateful to all the emergency services, including members of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, and fellow forestry workers, who helped dad.
‘And there has been huge support from dad’s friends and members of the community, which has been amazing.’
Lochaber MRT described the rescue as an excellent example of a multi-agency response in difficult terrain.
LMRT leader John Stevenson told the Lochaber Times the huge tree had been lifted clear of Mr Munro by his fellow forestry workers using their machinery.
‘It was a comprehensive response to this incident with a large turnout of emergency personnel, including our own paramedics and nurses,’ he said.
‘The man had suffered very serious injuries and the danger with crush injuries like those is that getting a person free and relieving the weight can make matters worse.
‘You have to be extremely careful in dealing with these type of incidents.
‘We had to move the man to more of a clearing so the helicopter was happy to come in.’
The site involved was at the top of a clearfell site making access for rescue personnel difficult.
The helicopter winched Mr Munro from a small clearing with assistance from a team on the ground using a highline to ensure its winchman and stretcher avoided the surrounding trees.
We are obviously very grateful to all the emergency services ” Heather Munro