Mail carrier critically injured by falling tree in South Lyon

SOUTH LYON, Mich. (WJBK) - A mail carrier was critically injured Friday when a large tree fell on him in South Lyon, officials there say. 

We're told the tree fell on top of him as he was delivering mail on Detroit Street. First responders got to the scene and saw a very old, large tree lying on top of the man. 

He was able to talk, although he was trapped under the tre. Firefighters had to use a chainsaw to get the man out. 

He was then rushed to the hospital, where he's in critical condition. Authorities didn't elaborate on his injuries. 

James Pruess said he heard a loud crack and looked up and watched the tree come down. He works nearby and ran inside to grab a coworker to check out the damage. When they got to the scene they could not believe what they heard.

"All the sudden we heard this faint somebody help me," Preuss said. "All of a sudden, we see a mailman pinned under the tree." 

Preuss say his coworker, Sean Phillips, said the postman had been calling for help but nobody could hear him. 

"He would have been there for a while cause he said people would drive by slow down and look but no one heard call for help," Preuss said.

They called 911 and tried to make sure the man was okay.

"We pulled branches out of face, gathered his mail for him and had emergency services on the way we did the best we could could," Phillips said.

Emergency crews including firefighters and police worked together to free the man. A spokesperson for the United States Postal Service did not identify the worker and would only say that the he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.