City employee injured on Greenway
A city employee was injured Tuesday afternoon while trying to move a huge downed tree from the Barren Fork Greenway after it was toppled by high winds over the weekend.
The victim, Paul Williamson of the city water department, suffered head injuries when he was struck in the head by large branch which was being used to lift the larger downed tree. He was evacuated off the Greenway by members of the Warren County Emergency Medical Service and then taken to River Park Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
According to City Forester Nick Kuhn who was on the scene removing the tree, Williamson was among several helping lift the tree as the trunk was being cut when the branch he was holding suddenly rolled, striking him in the side of the head. The incident happened on the part of the Greenway closest to Frank G. Clement Bridge. The Greenway trail runs from Riverfront Park to Frank G. Clement Bridge on South Chancery and is a favorite destination for walkers, joggers and bike riders.
Kuhn estimated the tree that fell was about 60 years old. The tree, located up a hill above the Greenway, was unstable because it was growing among an outcropping of rocks on the bluff. City forestry workers planned to finish removing the tree Tuesday as it was completely blocking the Greenway.