PUTNAM COUNTY — Two men were killed and two others seriously injured after an oak tree fell onto a Toyota Tacoma pickup truck on Pea Ridge Road in Putnam County. The incident occurred approximately 100 yards from the intersection with U.S. Highway 441.

Hours of heavy rainfall had saturated the soil, causing the oak tree to uproot and fall onto the roadway as the vehicle passed. Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills said, "We received the call at 6:15 a.m." He said, "It was a difficult extraction."

Coroner Hollis Harrison pronounced 24-year-old Logan Deal and 25-year-old Jakob Tapley deceased at the scene at 7 a.m. Both Deal and Tapley were seated in the back of the truck, and officials believe they were killed instantly. Sheriff Sills said, "The tree crushed the whole top of the truck and impacted with the backseat."

The driver, 25-year-old Lucas Zane Dyal, and passenger, 25-year-old Trey Meeks, were seated in the front and sustained serious injuries. First responders provided initial treatment at the scene, and both Dyal and Meeks were then transported by ambulance to Atrium Health Navicent-The Medical Center in Macon. All four men were residents of Ellabell in Bryan County and had been staying at a short-term rental house on Lake Sinclair near Possum Point.

Firefighters from the County Fire Department used chainsaws to cut sections of the fallen tree for occupant extraction. Sheriff Sills said, "They were all either relatives or close friends." Sheriff's Office Deputy Nicklaus Fazio is conducting the official investigation into the incident.