‘Resilience and strength’: Crews work for over an hour to free trapped man after large tree falls on York County home

YORK COUNTY, S.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – An early morning rescue in Rock Hill led to a picture of resilience.

A family and their dog were rescued after a large tree fell on a home early Friday morning in Rock Hill, according to the York County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened on Friday, Sept. 27, at a home in the 2000 block of Poinsett Drive.

The Charlotte Fire Department assisted York County emergency crews with the challenging rescue. They said a man was pinned by a large tree that fell onto the home.

When Charlotte-area crews arrived at the scene Friday morning, three of the four people inside the home had already been rescued, but a fourth person was still trapped.

Crews worked for more than an hour to free the trapped man. He was successfully rescued from the home and transported to a local hospital for treatment.

“In the image, you can see the resilience and strength of the patient, who gave a thumbs up to first responders, showing his gratitude and spirit,” Charlotte Fire said. “Our thoughts are with him and his family as he recovers.”

QCN reporter John Le spoke with David Hamner, the man trapped, who says he was released from the hospital in the early afternoon.

Hamner says he was in bed when a tree fell into the master bedroom around 6 a.m., painfully trapping him.

Hamner gave a “thumbs up” to his wife and daughters as he was pulled out of the house, reassuring them at a tense time.

“I knew she was upset and concerned and I was mainly just for her,” he said. “A little bit for the rescuers; let them know, ‘I’m okay, do what you got to do.’”

Amazingly Hamner has pain in his ribs but doesn’t have a single broken bone. Neighbors have been driving by to check on David and express their relief that he’s okay.

But considering the emergency rescue today, he feels lucky to have come out of it with no major injuries.

The multi-agency effort brought everyone to safety, including the family dog, authorities said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.