Cathlamet logger dies in Clatsop County accident

Emergency responders pronounced the 51-year-old man dead at the scene, according to the Clatsop County Sheriff's Office.

"It's pretty tough, pretty sudden and pretty fast," said Florek's sister-in-law, Martha Florek.

Jerrold Florek was a third-generation logger. He armed himself with a chainsaw and felled his first tree when he was 15 years old and went to work in the woods full time soon after graduating from high school in 1977. Of the four brothers in Florek's family, three worked in the woods.

Florek is described as a wonderful uncle and part of a large, close-knit family. After his father died in 2002, Florek helped keep the family farm running.

"It was his second job," Martha Florek said, "but he made sure things were done. He took it very seriously. He worked all the time."

For Martha Florek and her family it's a harsh reminder of how dangerous logging continues to be. Her husband is also a logger.

"We'll just get through this week," she said. The family hopes to have funeral arrangements set in the next few days.

Florek's passing marks the second death in the family in nine months.

On Christmas Day last year, Florek's nephew, Justin Florek, was killed on the job after he fell into a salt pile while working at the EquaChlor plant in Longview.