A teenager who died after being crushed by a tree was helping to cut it down as a summer job.
The boy, named locally as Kamil Hubert, was said to have been helping cut down the 30ft tree after finishing his exams when he was seriously injured.
Police and paramedics were called to the scene in Carlton-in-Lindrick, near Worksop, Nottinghamshire but Kamil was pronounced dead at the scene on Saturday morning.
Two men aged 28 and 31 have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.
A 28-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. All three remain in police custody.
Pictured: Kamil Hubert, 16, was crushed by a 30ft tall tree he was helping to cut down for a summer job after completing his GCSEs
Floral tributes left for Kamil at Rotherham Baulk following what police described as a ‘tragic incident’
Locals said the teenager, who is believed to have just completed his GCSE exams, was crushed while helping the men attempt to cut down the 30-foot tall tree, on the border of two properties.
The scene remained cordoned off today with dozens of floral tributes left in memory of the victim.
An online fundraiser to help pay for his funeral has raised over £4,000, with his mother Jadwiga Pawlowska writing on Facebook: ‘I will be very grateful for any help for my son. Please share the fundraiser and help us in this difficult time.’
Police described his death as a ‘tragic incident’ and said his family was being supported by specially-trained officers.
A local who lives close to the scene said: ‘I first realised something was wrong on Saturday morning when the air ambulance landed in a field opposite my house.
‘I assumed at first it must be a car accident, because we live on a road where people drive very fast. But then I looked out and saw umpteen ambulances and emergency vehicles.
‘I walked up the road to see what was happening, because it was obviously something very serious. I spoke to a man who said a young boy had been badly hurt. It sounds like a tree landed on his chest.
‘Sadly it seems there was nothing they could do. The air ambulance took off again about an hour later without him, simply because they were too late – he died at the scene.
‘Apparently he had only finished school the day before, and this was some kind of summer job.’
One woman living near the spot where the incident took place, who also didn’t want to be named, said: ‘It’s really sad. We have been told he was helping a couple of guys cut the tree down when part of it has just come down and crushed him. There was a huge response from the emergency services but sadly they were unable to save him.
‘It is a massive tree, about 30 feet tall, and overhangs the garden of a house that has been empty and boarded up for years.
‘It sounds like a tragic accident to be honest but people have to realise how dangerous something like trying to take down a big tree can actually be. They can weigh a ton.’
A general view of Rotherham Baulk in Carlton-in-Lindrick, Nottinghamshire, where Kamil was pronounced dead on Saturday morning
She added: ‘Over the weekend lots of young people have come and left flowers and tributes, and lit candles. He was obviously very popular. It’s so terrible with him being so young. My friend spoke to some of them, and they said he’d just finished his GCSEs last week. He should have had his whole life ahead of him.
‘Apparently he is a local lad. My heart goes out to his family, no-one should lose their son in such a way.’
Dozens also paid tribute online. Lisa Butterworth, writing on Facebook, described him as a ‘special young man’. She said: ‘Broke my heart when I was told this morning. You were always one of my favourites. So cheeky and pleasant. An honour to have met you. So glad it was my bus you travelled on. Gone too soon’.
Detective Inspector Simon Harrison, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: ‘This was a tragic incident and my thoughts are with the boy’s family. They have asked for privacy at this most difficult time.
‘The family are being supported by specially-trained officers as we continue to investigate exactly what happened.
‘Our inquiries remain ongoing, and we are appealing for anyone with information, including witnesses and anyone who may have captured CCTV, doorbell camera or dashcam footage, to please get in contact with us.’
