CLARENDON—On Wednesday, Sept. 10 at about 5 p.m., state police were notified of a logging accident that occurred on Walker Mountain Road. The Clarendon and West Rutland fire departments responded, along with Regional Ambulance Service.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, Ralph Ruiter, 47, of Middletown Springs, was logging the area when a tree that he felled collided with another, causing the second tree to topple onto him. As a result, Ruiter suffered fatal injuries and was declared dead at the scene. He was transported to the office of the chief medical examiner in Burlington for an autopsy. Safety gear was located at the scene, which appeared to have been in use prior to the accident.
