Man killed during storm cleanup

By Gus Bode

A professional tree trimmer from Florida was killed Thursday while helping clean up debris from the May 8 storm that wreaked havoc across the region.

Samuel Casey, 38, from Lithia, Fla., was killed when a tree fell on top of him in the 600 block of North Beadle Drive.

Casey was transported to the Memorial Hospital of Carbondale, but was pronounced dead from injuries sustained from the tree, said Jackson County Deputy Coroner Janet Austin.

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‘The tree fell on his back,’ she said. ‘He died from injuries sustained by the tree and was pronounced dead at the hospital.’

Casey is the second storm-related death in southern Illinois since the May 8 storm hit the area roughly three weeks ago. The 87-year-old George Arbeiter was killed during the storm when a tree limb crashed into his home and hit him on the head.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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