An elderly man who had to be rescued Monday afternoon after suffering an injury in a tree near Clarkesville has died.
According to a press release from Habersham County, Leonard Highsmith, 74, of Rabun County, died late Tuesday afternoon at Northeast Georgia Medical Center.
The release said Highsmith's death was ruled accidental. It was reportedly caused by complications from a serious leg injury suffered while cutting a tree.
“Our thoughts and prayers extend to the family through this difficult time,” Habersham County Coroner Kasey McEntire said.
Original story published Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 9 a.m.:
An injured person was flown to a hospital after being rescued from a tree near Clarkesville Monday afternoon.
The Habersham County Sheriff's Office said in a release that the victim, who was not identified, was found about 20 feet up in the tree just after 1:00 p.m. in a vacant lot on Montego Bay just north of Woodville Elementary School. The person was reportedly moving but was not otherwise responsive and was drifting in and out of consciousness.
The victim's injuries were serious enough that authorities called an AirLife helicopter to help transport them. It took roughly an hour to rescue the person from the tree and transport them to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, according to the sheriff's office.
The person was reportedly doing some work in the tree, when they were seriously injured and got stuck.
Habersham County Emergency Services aided the Sheriff's Office in the incident.
