Man Injured Clearing Tornado Debris in Chesterfield Township

Man Injured Clearing Tornado Debris in Chesterfield Township

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A man sustained serious injuries Saturday afternoon while clearing tornado debris in Chesterfield Township, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

The accident occurred as community members in Burlington County continued to rally around neighbors impacted by an EF-1 tornado that tore through the area on Thursday. The man was using a utility vehicle to move debris when the vehicle flipped down an embankment and landed on top of him, NBC10 Philadelphia reported.

“After six police cars showed up, there were two fire trucks, an ambulance, another fire truck and another ambulance,” witness Seth Tomb said, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

Firefighters used special airbags to lift the utility vehicle off the man so crews could pull him to safety. He was subsequently rushed to a waiting medical helicopter and flown to a hospital with serious injuries.

The aftermath of the EF-1 tornado

The injury happened just two days after the storm hit the community with winds reaching up to 100 mph. The tornado left behind a trail of toppled trees and damaged properties throughout the township.

Despite the destruction, local residents have focused on mutual aid and recovery efforts. One retired farmer was noted among those helping to clear fallen trees from the property of Cheryl Jones’ parents.

Recuperacion desastres naturales limpieza escombros despues que tornado dane casas

“That’s what Chesterfield is all about, the community,” Jones said, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

Local businesses face recovery challenges

The storm also damaged Homebody Farm, located next door to the Jones family. Co-owner Liam Duffy reported that the tornado lifted a shed off the property, damaged a greenhouse, and tore down fences.

“This is where our shed was. It got lifted up directly this way,” Duffy said, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

“People have volunteered to sign up, have signed up to volunteer for our clean up days this coming week and weekend,” Duffy said, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

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