The Summit County Sheriff’s office is reporting that a cabin owner near the Mirror Lake Highway was found dead Tuesday night, evidently after being struck by a fallen tree.
The Sheriff’s incident report said the fatality is a 74-year-old woman who is a full-time resident of West Valley. Her name has not been released, pending notifications of family members.
The report said that sometime between 2:00 and 6:30 pm on Tuesday, the woman was by herself, using a chainsaw to cut down dead trees around her family cabin in the Manorlands area, not far from the Wyoming border.
A tree, which was being supported by a tree she was cutting, fell and struck the woman, causing a fatal head injury.
Lt. Andrew Wright said that the victim and her husband have previously gone up to the cabin in the summer and cut down the trees to create a defensible space. They customarily have a scout troop carry off the wood, and it was a scout leader, a friend of the couple, who found her.