By Nishantha Kumara and Palitha Ariyawansa  

A toddy tapper who fell from a kitul tree onto a stem of a pruned tree had been admitted to hospital with the spike in his chest in critical condition. He had fallen from a height of about 50ft and sustained serious injuries to his chest and forearm close to the armpit. 

The injured D.M.Jayaweera (50) was admitted to the Meegahakiula hospital and transferred in a critical condition to the Badulla general hospital.

The neighbours had cut off the stem of the Nerenchi tree and admitted the patient with the part of it piercing his chest. He was subject to emergency surgery to remove the wooden spike.