A 44-year-old Ladysmith, Wis., man had his left leg amputated and broke his right leg and an arm after a Monday afternoon logging accident at Sappi Fine Paper in Cloquet.
Billy Parker, a truck driver for Baughman Trucking, was delivering wood to the mill when equipment fell on him, said Shirley Baughman, the mother of company owner Ritch Baughman.
"We all don't really know what happened," Shirley Baughman said. "A loader came off the truck and fell on him. We don't know all what happened at this point."
Parker, who has worked for Baughman Trucking for about one year, also has internal injuries and is receiving treatment at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth.
The man was initially transferred by ambulance to Community Memorial Hospital in Cloquet and then flown by LifeLink helicopter to Duluth.
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The Cloquet hospital parking lot was cleared in minutes as employees in scrubs ran to their vehicles after officials announced the helicopter would use the lot as a landing strip.
"It's pretty rare," said hospital spokeswoman Nancy Taggert about how often medical helicopters land in the parking lot.
The Duluth News Tribune news staff contributed to this report.
