A Liberty man suffered multiple cuts and possible internal injuries Sunday morning after becoming trapped under a heavy work vehicle, according to local fire Chief Bill Gillespie.
The man, who is in his 80s, was taken by rescue helicopter to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Gillespie did not yet know his condition on Monday.
The man had reportedly used a skid steer with a fork attachment to lift a load of lumber that was too large for the vehicle, causing him to be thrown from the machine, Gillespie said.
The vehicle then appeared to hit the man, trapping him in place until a neighbor found him and called authorities just before noon. The incident reportedly occurred near Main Street and Tannery Lane.
When Liberty firefighters and other emergency responders arrived, the vehicle was inoperable. They used extrication equipment to pull the man out from under the vehicle.
Rescue workers could not find any visible injuries on the man’s legs, but he likely had internal injuries, pressure wounds and visible cuts on his head and arms, Gillespie said.
“If someone is struggling with equipment like that, we want to make sure we get them to a trauma center,” Gillespie said.
