An Orange County employee was killed Wednesday while cutting down trees on a well-known golf course.

The incident occurred just before 11:30 a.m. at the Hickory Hill Golf Course, located at 156 Route 17A in Warwick.

Tonny Teskera, a 13-year veteran of the county Parks Department, was killed when a 40-foot sumac tree that was being cut down toppled over and hit him in the head.

The 38-year-old father was part of a three-man team that was trimming and cutting down trees at the county-owned golf course to prepare it for opening day.

Police say Teskera's co-workers tried to perform CPR on the Warwick native, but he never regained consciousness. He was later pronounced dead at St. Anthony Community Hospital.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus was called to the Hickory Hill Country Club to meet with investigators and Teskera's girlfriend. He said that Teskera, who has a 6-year-old daughter, also worked as a part-time armed security guard at Orange Regional Medical Center.

News 12 spoke with Teskera's father by phone, who described his son as a hardworking man.