Man Dies After Tree Cutting Accident in Middlebury

A 53-year-old Naugatuck man died after a tree-cutting accident in Middlebury Sunday morning. 

The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m., when Middlebury Police and Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department personnel were sent to 400 Charcoal Ave., Middlebury, after receiving reports of a man who fell.

Upon arrival, they found Michael J. Pranulis suffering from head trauma and multiple fractures, according to a press release from Middlebury Acting Police Chief Richard Wildman.

Emergency personnel from the Middlebury Fire Department, ambulance and medics from Campion Ambulance took over his care and he was transported to Saint Mary's Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

A preliminary investigation found that Pranulis was in the tree cutting it when something went wrong and he got entangled in the tree as it fell, falling more than 40 feet to the ground, Wildman said.

The cutting of the pine tree was a result of clean-up efforts after Hurricane Sandy, he said.

Police are continuing their investigation and will be notifying the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, about the accident.

Pranulis was employed by K Landscaping, police said.