Tree crew member killed in Halifax Plantation after log rolls on top of him

The victim was a member of a tree-removal crew who was removing debris from Hurricane Matthew.

By Emily Blackwood
| 8:00 p.m. October 10, 2016

Ormond Beach Observer
News

Steven Barna — a member of a tree-removal crew clearing debris left behind by Hurricane Matthew — was killed Oct. 10 when a large log rolled on top of him. The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. in the Halifax Plantation community near Ormond Beach.

The 47-year-old victim was working for the Falls Tree Company of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, which had sent crews to Florida to assist with tree clean-up from Hurricane Matthew. Barna was from Garrettsville, Ohio.

Several members of his crew were working in the neighborhood removing debris and cutting trees into smaller pieces to be hauled away. Barna was cutting a tree that was already on the ground when a large piece of the tree rolled on top of him and pinned him underneath.

A passerby spotted Barna on the edge of Tano Drive and yelled out for help. Co-workers who were working nearby rushed to his aid and pulled the log off of him. Then a witness began CPR efforts while awaiting the arrival of paramedics.

The Sheriff’s Office’s Communications Center was notified of the incident at 5:48 p.m. Paramedics and deputies rushed to the site of the accident, but it was too late. Barna was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office’s Major Case Unit is investigating and the Volusia County Medical Examiner’s Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.