Nun Helps Save Elderly Man's Life After Tree Fell On Top Of Him In Wrentham
WRENTHAM (CBS) -- A nun is credited with saving an elderly man's life in Wrentham on Saturday after a tree fell on top of him.
One of the sisters at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey was walking through the surrounding woods, praying, when she heard a man's shout "Help me! I'm hurt!"
She went toward the voice and found a 74-year old man trapped under the tree. Her fellow sisters said she ran back to the abbey, where they called 911.
She and another sister went with first responders to bring them to the man, who was a quarter of a mile into the woods.
Firefighters say Doug Goldman had been pinned under the tree for at least two hours. The tree's diameter was about 10-to-12 inches.
Goldman was using a chainsaw to cut down a tree on his property, when something happened and it landed on his lower legs.
It would have been a "life-threatening (situation) if we didn't find him when we did," Wrentham Fire Capt. Robert Harrison told WBZ-TV.
Pastor Doug Pettit of the Sheldonville Baptist Church is Goldman's nextdoor neighbor. He told WBZ Goldman often uses the nice weather to chop wood to heat his house.
"Very surprised. He's a very safety-conscious guy," he says. "Despite his age, he's very robust, very active. I was talking to some people , (telling them) he's always splitting wood."
Those involved think divine intervention helped save Goldman's life.
"I think God looks out for people in general. I think he loves us, and I also don't think it's necessarily coincidental," Pettit says.
Goldman was flown by medical helicopter to Boston Medical Center. As of Saturday night, he was in good condition after suffering injuries to his legs and experiencing hypothermia.
