A ninth person has died in connection with the brutal ice storm that hit north Louisiana on the weekend of January 23-26.
A Pineville man working in Ouachita Parish was killed Tuesday while he was engaged in clearing damaged tree from Winter Storm Fern.
According to the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a reported death at a residence in the 200 block of Elmwood Drive on February 10. They found 26-year-old Hunter Ray, of Pineville, LA, deceased in the backyard of the residence.
Ray was part of a tree removal crew working to clear damaged trees from Winter Storm Fern, OPSO said.
According to OPSO, witnesses on the scene told deputies that efforts were being made to control the direction of the tree’s fall using ropes and a skid steer. During the cutting process, the tree shifted and fell in an unintended direction and stuck Ray. Ray attempted to move away but was unable to avoid the falling tree.
The investigation is continuing, OPSO said.
Other deaths related to the storm include a car crash on an icy road, several cases of hypothermia, and oxygen deprivation due to a power outage.
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