Midstate man killed by ax in apparent wood-chopping accident

A Monroe County man was found dead shortly after noon on Saturday after he apparently cut himself in the face while chopping firewood with an ax, authorities said.

The man was lying in a yard at 1972 Montpelier Road near McCowan Road, a few miles south of Forsyth and west of Reedy Creek and U.S. 41 in the Smarr area.

The man, 61-year-old Clifford Kelly Pope Sr., was unconscious when he was found.

In an emailed statement sent to news outlets, Monroe sheriff's Sgt. Lawson Bittick said it appeared that "Pope had been cutting firewood in the front yard when he accidentally struck himself in the face with an ax. Pope is believed to have passed out from blood loss and died on the scene."

This story was originally published January 13, 2018 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Midstate man killed by ax in apparent wood-chopping accident."