A Penn Township man rescued from his home early Wednesday after a fallen tree trapped him inside died from injuries about two hours after being freed, according to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner.
The 75-foot-tall oak tree toppled around 2:45 a.m. onto the roof of a two-story home owned by 71-year-old Jay Zelezniak, prompting a feverish but careful emergency response to build a makeshift tunnel to rescue him.
After about 95 minutes of emergency work, Zelezniak was on an ambulance headed to AHN Forbes Hospital in Monroeville. He was pronounced dead there at 6:11 a.m. He died from blunt force trauma to the pelvis and legs, according to the medical examiner.
Penn Township deputy emergency director Jeremy Dixon said dozens of specially-trained firefighters worked quickly on Deer Run Drive to stabilize the house. The tree smashed into the roof above a bedroom where Zelezniak was sleeping.
The second floor crashed down into the first floor, trapping him beneath the tree, which is about 3 feet in diameter. A woman in another room of the home, which is in a residential neighborhood in the Level Green area, escaped safely.
“They tried to remove the tree but … the house started to shift as well,” Dixon said.
Members of the Westmoreland County Trench and Collapse Rescue Team, based out of Crabtree’s fire department, stabilized the structure and tunneled to the man. Firefighters from numerous departments in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties helped at the scene.
“It’s a very specific training that goes along with it and a very specific skill set,” Dixon said.
Zelezniak was being treated by a doctor throughout the rescue until finally being removed just after 4 a.m., Dixon said.
“Everyone there knew that this situation was dire,” said township police Chief John Otto. “Everyone there knew that this situation was dangerous.”
Afterwards, crews remained on scene to further stabilize the house, which later a township code officer declared unsafe for inhabitation. It was cordoned off Wednesday with yellow tape.
Township officials praised firefighters’ work. Penn Township-area crews had been running for hours, responding to flooding calls and a vehicle crash Tuesday evening, said township manager Alex Graziani.
“The first responders have so much training and so much planning — it was really on display,” he said.
Officials believe the tree may have uprooted, in part, because of heavy rains. A nearby rain gauge measured 2.69 inches of rain fell from 3 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, Graziani said.
“I believe the rain … was the icing on the cake,” said Paul Wersing, township emergency management coordinator.
Zelezniak and his wife, Barbara, bought the property in 1992, according to county records.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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