Fatal Logging Accident in Richland County

Authorities in Richland County say a man is dead following a logging accident this week. Emergency crews responded to an area off of County Highway OO, between U.S. Route 14 and State Road 60, around 5:00 p.m. Wednesday. The sheriff’s office says 54-year-old Joseph Abitz was struck in the head by a pressurized hydraulic line while working on a log skidder. He was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.