A morning of work in the fields turned tragic in Pagliarole, on the border between the towns of Sessa Cilento and Omignano. Antonio Cuoco, 82, a lifelong resident and well-known in the village, died while felling a tree on his property.
According to initial reconstructions, the elderly man was alone doing some maintenance work on the property. He was cutting down a tree trunk when, for reasons still under investigation, the tree suddenly tilted in the opposite direction from the intended direction, overwhelming and crushing him.
The neighbors' alarm and the rescue
The alarm was raised by some neighbors, suspicious of the noise of the chainsaw that had been left running for a long time. When he hadn't returned and their calls weren't answered, they decided to go to the scene to investigate.
When they reached the bottom, they found a dramatic scene: Cuoco was on the ground, under the weight of the log he was trying to cut down. They immediately called for help. Volunteers from the Misericordia di Vallo della Lucania and the 118 emergency medical car responded to the scene.
Paramedics attempted resuscitation several times. However, the man suffered severe trauma and his condition immediately appeared critical. Despite repeated attempts, there was nothing they could do for the 82-year-old: he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Law enforcement immediately cordoned off the area and began investigations to reconstruct the accident. Initial investigations revealed that Cuoco was working alone, as was his custom, accustomed to managing work on his land independently.
The leading hypothesis is that the tree, perhaps weakened or already leaning, suddenly collapsed, changing direction at the last moment. This unexpected event may have caught the elderly man by surprise, preventing him from moving away in time and reaching safety. Technical investigations and neighbors' testimonies will now clarify the entire process of what happened.
A town in mourning for "Tonino del bar"
The news of Antonio Cuoco's death has deeply shocked the communities of Sessa Cilento and Omignano. Many remember him as "Tonino del bar," after the bar he managed for years, which had become a meeting place for residents, young people, and families.
Behind the counter, Cuoco greeted customers with discretion and cordiality. Those who knew him describe him as a gentle, respectful man, always ready for a chat and making everyone who entered his bar feel at ease. Over the years, he eventually retired from the business, but without abandoning the countryside, to which he was deeply attached.
Tireless and hardworking, he continued to tend his land with the same dedication as ever, considering working in the fields part of his daily routine. It was during one of these customary days of hard work in the fields that he met his death, in an accident as sudden as it was absurd.
The funeral date will be set in the coming hours. Meanwhile, the two communities remain united in their grief over the loss of a man who, despite the simplicity of village life, represented a human and daily point of reference for many.
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