A New Kensington man was killed yesterday when a piece of wayward timber struck him in the face as he was cutting down a tree for firewood on his parents' property in Lower Burrell.

Thomas Anthony Bruno, 36, died of multiple blunt force trauma to the head and neck, the Westmoreland County coroner's office said last night. Mr. Bruno was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, a wooded area off of Braeburn Road in Lower Burrell.

Mr. Bruno was cutting down a tree at about 3:30 p.m. when a tree next to it somehow broke and struck him in the face, the coroner's office said. Mr. Bruno's parents witnessed the accident and called 911.

He was pronounced dead at 5:05 p.m.

First Published: December 30, 2008, 5:30 a.m.