Hammond worker dies after tree falls on him in Illinois

HAMMOND, Ind. (AP) - Investigators are checking into whether a landscaping and tree-cutting service was properly licensed after a northwestern Indiana man employed by the company died after apparently being struck by part of a tree.

The Lake County Coroner's Office pronounced 20-year-old Romero Tirado of Hammond dead at a hospital at 1:25 p.m. Saturday, shortly after the incident in nearby Dolton, Illinois.

Dolton Police Chief Robert M. Collins Jr. tells The (Munster) Times (http://bit.ly/1W9Jef5 ) that a company known as Pablo's Tree Service had been retained by a homeowner to cut down a tree. Collins says a section of the tree being cut down by another employee apparently fell and struck Tirado, who was standing on a sidewalk.

Collins says police are investigating whether the company was licensed and had the necessary permits.