Madras teen killed in firewood-cutting accident

A 14-year-old Madras boy on a family firewood-cutting trip northeast of Prineville was struck by a falling tree and fatally injured Saturday morning, Crook County sheriff’s deputies said.

The sheriff’s office was dispatched to the accident shortly before 8 a.m., said Sgt. Bill Elliott. The caller gave few details but said a 14-year-old boy had been struck by a tree while cutting firewood.

Deputies, assisted by their Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office counterparts, learned the teen had been cutting firewood with his family along Forest Road 27, about 20 miles northeast of Prineville.

One of the family members felled a tree and it hit the boy, who was transported by private vehicle into Jefferson County.

At that point, they had contact with police and fire personnel, Elliott said. Medics with Jefferson County EMS “attempted life-saving measures but were unsuccessful,” the sergeant said, and the 14-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.

The boy’s name and other details were not released.