Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring 2010 - 2019 Published in TCI Magazine
2010 - 2019 樹木工作意外事故，來源 TCI 雜誌
資料來源:
http://tcia.org/@/TCIA/PUBLICATIONS/TCI_Magazine/TCIA/Publications/TCI_Magazine/TCI_Magazine.aspx?hkey=4ab5fcfe-7f4c-4d60-b76e-66b1df925b65
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring 2010 - 2019
Published in TCI Magazine
(In descending order)
All items taken from published reports or reported directly to TCIA staff, as noted.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring January through December 2019
January 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Homeowner dies in fall from ladder
A man died January 2, 2019, in Cowpens, South Carolina, while trying to cut a tree branch in his yard.
Mickey Spencer, 64, was in his yard on a 14-foot ladder when he fell to the ground, suffering head and body trauma, according to a Fox Carolina News report.
Man dies when struck by cut tree
A man died January 9, 2019, in Washington, Knox County, Maine, when he was struck by a tree he was cutting.
Shannon Condon, 47, died when the tree he was cutting on his own property fell on him.
No other injuries were reported, according to a report from WGME, a CBS affiliate.
Tree worker injured by falling tree
A man working on a tree-cutting crew was injured January 9, 2019, in Elizabethton, Tennessee, when a dead tree that had not been cut by the crew fell and struck the man on the head.
A responding Carter County Sheriff’s Department officer found the victim, Mark Bruner of Greeneville, Tenn., lying in the road with co-workers around him. A dead tree was lying in a ditch near him.
Bruner was disoriented and kept asking what had happened. He was checked by the Carter County Rescue Squad and taken down the mountain by ambulance.
Workers reported they were not working on the tree that fell. A warning was shouted, but Bruner was still hit by the falling tree. Bruner was wearing his helmet at the time, and it was lying next to Bruner on the road when the officer arrived, according to a Johnson City Press report.
Man hurt cutting hurricane-damaged trees
A county employee was seriously injured apparently while cleaning up hurricane-damaged trees in Lynn Haven, Bay County, Florida, near Panama City, January 11, 2019.
The man was cutting damaged trees when he was trapped under multiple different trees. First responders were able to free him after cutting through those trees, and then used a ladder as a makeshift bridge to move the man across a ditch.
The man was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries, according to a WMBB TV report.
Worker struck, injured by tree trimming truck
A worker for a tree crew was seriously injured when he was run over by one of the crews’ trucks January 25, 2019, in Swatara Township, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The truck rolled forward from a stationary position while the crew was working in the area. The truck was quickly stopped, but not before the worker suffered serious injuries.
Arriving officers applied a tourniquet to the man’s leg to control the bleeding before he was rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment, according to a WHTM/ABC27 news report.
February 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
This first item was not reported with other December 2018 incidents in the February 2019 issue of TCI.
Climber killed in fall from spar
A climber died December 6, 2018, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, after his climbing line and lanyard flipped off the top of a spar and he fell 40 to 50 feet to the ground.
Alexander William Black, 31, of Skippack, Pa., a Certified Arborist and climber with Westerman`s Tree & Landscaping Services, LLC, was blocking the spar down, lowering 3- to 4-foot millable logs to the ground. After one of the pieces came off, both his climbing line and lanyard rolled up and off the top of the spar.
He was pronounced dead some time later at Paoli Hospital in Paoli, Pa.
Friends of Black, fellow climbers in the arborist community – from Maryland, New Jersey and Connecticut – stepped in and removed the rest of the spar for Westerman’s Tree, according to a report directly to TCIA staff.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed after being struck by a falling tree February 4, 2019, in O’Hara Township, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh.
Adam Hursen, 33, of Glenshaw, Pa., was with a crew that was removing trees. As the crew removed a tree, it fell unexpectedly, striking another tree, and that tree in turn fell onto Hursen.
Hursen, who had been standing about 40 feet away, was pinned under the tree for a period of time before he was freed and pronounced dead, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
This news report was sent in by Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Man killed by falling tree
A man was killed apparently by a tree he was felling February 3, 2019, in Hartland, Vermont.
Vermont State Police say a friend found Edward B. Osmer, 71, of Woodstock, Vt., on February 4, underneath a tree in the woods. Investigators say Osmer was logging alone on the property when the tree fell on him. They say his death looked like an accident, according to a WCAX-TV report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed February 21, 2019, in Taylor County, Iowa, after a tree he was cutting fell on him.
Johnathan Hindman, 24, of Grundy Center, Iowa, was attempting to cut down a tree. Hindman’s chain saw became stuck in the tree and, while he was attempting to free the saw, the tree fell and struck him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a KMA Broadcasting report.
Tree company owner killed in struck-by
A tree company owner died February 26, 2019, in Bel Air, Maryland, after a cut tree fell on him.
Brian Michael Fitzpatrick, 54, of Bel Air, Md., was struck on the head by the tree or a part of the tree, according to a WBFF Fox 45 report. The report also said the tree fell on him “after he was cut.”
He started Fitzpatrick & Sons, LLC, in 1986 as a mowing-service company and grew it into a tree services, landscaping and snow-removal company, according to his obituary.
Operator injured when aerial lift fails
The operator of a bucket truck was injured February 28, 2019, in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, after the truck’s aerial lift failed and the bucket fell 30 to 40 feet to the ground. The victim was airlifted to the hospital with serious injuries.
The Tewksbury Fire Department told Fox 25 Boston that the worker was cutting down a tree when the hydraulics in the truck suddenly let go. The worker did not fall out of the bucket but suffered serious injuries, according to a patch.com report.
March 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Climber dies after chain saw cut
A climber bled to death in a tree after cutting himself with a chain saw March 2, 2019, in Immokalee, Florida.
Esteban Antonio, 36, was working on the tree when the chain saw he was using slipped and cut him on the side of his body. Deputies, EMS and firefighters responded to the home where Antonio was working. Antonio was yelling for help, and fire crews attempted to bring the victim down, but due to how high up he was in the tree, they were unable to reach him.
Antonio was in the tree for at least two hours and bled out before he could be rescued, according to a WBBH-TV NBC Channel 2 report.
Firefighters who responded to the scene needed a ladder truck to reach Antonio but did not have one. The district had to call other agencies to get a ladder, according to WINK News.
Climber dies after being trapped in tree
A climber died March 2, 2019, in Dekalb County, Georgia, after an accident while aloft left him hanging in the tree.
The climber, who was from Georgia and worked for a tree-cutting service, was working in a tree outside a home when there was some kind of accident. A neighbor reported that the climber got hit by a rope, became injured and ended up hanging in the tree. It then took first responders an hour and a half to get to the climber because it was such a dangerous situation, the neighbor told FOX 5 News.
One of the victim’s co-workers climbed up the tree to try to rescue him, but wasn’t able to help him, according to other witnesses.
A neighbor told Channel 2 Action News that the man was left hanging unconscious and upside down for nearly two hours, and that DeKalb firefighters worked frantically to pull him out of the tree, but it was too late when they finally did. The man was tangled in wires about 50 feet up, according to a report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Pilot trimming tree dies in copter crash
The pilot of a helicopter being used to trim trees along a right of way died when the copter crashed March 5, 2019, in Talking Rock, Georgia.
The pilot, Johnny Kent, 51, of Pomona Park, Florida, was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital and died later that day as a result of his injuries. There were no other parties inside the aircraft at the time of the accident.
A witness at the scene said the pilot appeared to be conscious after the crash when he was being assisted by emergency workers.
Another witness said he had seen the helicopter working all morning along the lines and that at one point a gust of wind came through, and soon after, the aircraft was on the ground, but he was not certain the wind caused the aircraft to crash.
The helicopter crashed into a deer stand before coming to rest on the ground. The multibladed saw used to trim trees was on the ground in front of the mangled helicopter, with the long pole that attaches the blades to the helicopter still suspended in the trees.
The attachment to the helicopter had roughly an 8-foot aluminum pole that had six or eight 2-foot blades attached to them, according to a Times Courier report.
Another report said it was an H369 helicopter.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed March 10, 2019, in Lafayette Township, in Sussex County, New Jersey, after a tree he was cutting down fell on him.
Stephen Race, 64, of Lafayette Township, was using a chain saw to cut through the tree near his house. A neighbor found Race under the tree and called authorities. Race was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report from NJ.com, The Express-Times and lehighvalleylive.com.
Firefighter hurt clearing downed tree
A firefighter was hospitalized with a fractured shoulder after being struck by a tree in Sewickley Township, Pennsylvania, March 14, 2019.
Firefighters received word that a downed tree was blocking a road. The tree was tangled up in vines. As they were cutting it, the tree fell, and when it hit the ground, the base of it came up and hit the 62-year-old firefighter. The victim was taken to the hospital, conscious, but with a broken shoulder, according to a report in The Tribune-Review.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
An employee with a tree-service company was killed March 15, 2019, in Corbin, Kentucky, when he was struck in the head by a cut branch.
The man, whose name had not yet been released, was working on a tree at a residence when he was struck in the head by a falling branch that was described as not very big, but which reportedly fell from a significant height.
The victim was taken by ambulance to Baptist Health Corbin where he was pronounced dead, according to a report in The News Journal.
County worker killed when struck by log
A public works employee died during a tree removal March 18, 2019, in Calaveras County, California, after he was struck by a rolling log. Ansel John Bowman, 57, suffered fatal injuries after workers lost control of a cut, limbed tree that rolled over his body.
Individuals at the scene attempted to provide medical aid to the victim, but Bowman was pronounced dead when first responders arrived, according to a report in the Calaveras Enterprise.
Worker injured when struck by cut log
A tree worker was injured when he was struck and pinned by a rolling log March 18, 2019, in the Goshen community near Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Jeff Sparks was injured when a cut log about 20 feet long that was being pulled up a hill came loose and rolled onto him.
The log was removed from his waist and legs with straps and a pulley system powered by the winch on a Goshen Fire Department vehicle. Sparks was flown by AirCare helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, where it was determined his pelvis was broken in four places, according to a Wilkes Journal-Patriot report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner died March 18, 2019, in Cleveland Township, Columbia County, Pennsylvania, when he was struck by the tree he was cutting down.
Donald Jeffrey, 70, was trying to cut down a tree, and when it started to fall, he wasn’t able to get out of the way, according to a WNEP report.
Elderly man killed when tree splits
A homeowner died March 20, 2019, in Washington Township, York County, Pennsylvania, after being struck by part of a tree he was cutting down.
Ray Cooley, 79, was cutting down the tree when it split and part of it landed on him, killing him.
Fire and EMS crews responded to a report that a man was trapped under a tree and needed to be rescued. When they arrived, they found Cooley already deceased and called the coroner, according to a WHP CBS 21 News report.
Climber hurt in fall
A climber and owner of a tree service was seriously injured March 20, 2019, in Brown County, Indiana, when he fell 25 to 35 feet to the ground.
Dennis Stinson, of Nashville, Ind., had been tied to the tree and was changing positions to get to another limb when the fall happened. Stinson put his foot on a limb he thought was stable and unhooked his strap to change positions when that limb broke.
Stinson was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital with broken ribs, a broken sternum and a fractured vertebra, according to a Brown County Democrat report.
Man hurt in fall from ladder
A man was injured March 27, 2019, when he fell from a 17-foot ladder while cutting tree limbs at a home in the village of Pawcatuck in Stonington, Connecticut.
The man was conscious after the accident and was taken to Westerly Hospital. The extent of his injuries were not know at the time of The Day newspaper report.
Property owner injured by cut tree
A property owner was seriously injured March 29, 2019, in Schenectady, New York, when a large tree he was cutting down on his property fell on his leg, trapping him.
Emergency personnel had to work delicately, as the tree, about a foot in diameter and 20 feet long, had become caught in branches of nearby trees and had not fallen all the way to the ground.
Two doctors from Albany Medical Center Hospital rushed to the scene. The man was taken to Albany Medical via ambulance. They did not release his name, but said he was in his 40s.
The man had been working in a stand of trees located next to the parking lot of the former Ritz Restaurant. The man’s relatives tried to get neighbors to help lift the tree off the injured man, but the tree was too big, according to a report in The Daily Gazette.
April 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
This first item was not reported with other March 2019 incidents in the May 2019 issue of TCI.
Climber rescued from palm fronds
Firefighters rescued a climber trapped in palm fronds 25 feet off the ground March 20, 2019, in Fresno, California.
A homeowner called 911 after hearing the trapped man, who was not identified in the report, calling for help and realizing he was trapped under the collapsed palm fronds.
The climber was tied into the palm with the fronds pressing down on him.
Firefighters were able to reach the climber with a ladder truck and helped support him while removing enough fronds to release the load of fronds and free him. He was then given oxygen and brought down in the basket of the ladder truck.
The man was transported to a local hospital for treatment and was expected to recover, according to KMPH Fox26 and KGPE-TV reports.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed April 9, 2019, in Honea Path, in Abbeville County, South Carolina, when he was struck by a tree he was cutting down. Robert Blackston, 58, of Honea Path, died from blunt-force trauma to the head and chest, according to the WSPA-TV 7 News report.
Tree worker shocked touching truck
A tree-company worker was seriously hurt April 11, 2019, in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, when he touched the bumper of a vehicle that had been electrified.
According to a published report, an employee was cutting down a tree when a branch came into contact with an overhead power line. The electricity traveled down through the tree and into the worker’s truck, according to the WPVI-TV Channel 6 ABC news report.
Based on photographic images of the accident site, TCIA staff surmised that the ground worker was shocked through an energized crane handling a load too closely to a primary power line.
The man was conscious when rushed to the hospital, according to the WPVI-TV report.
Neighbor killed by cut tree
A 71-year-old man collecting firewood was killed April 13, 2019, in Fisherville, in Augusta County, Virginia, when he was struck by a tree being cut down by tree workers.
Prior to the accident, the victim was atop a riding lawnmower and removing wood from a neighbor’s property. As workers went about taking down a 95-foot red oak, the man was asked to vacate the area for the next cut. About 10 minutes later, the cut was finished and the tree fell, striking the man.
Those at the scene immediately rushed to give the victim first aid and called 911, but the man died, according to a Staunton News Leader report.
Man killed removing storm-damaged tree
A man died April 19, 2019, in Brookhaven, Mississippi, from injuries he received removing a tree that fell on a house during a storm a day earlier.
Freddie Mobley, 63, of Brookhaven, was helping cut a tree that had fallen onto a house during strong storms that roared across the South April 18. Mobley made a few cuts into the tree, then backed away. The trunk then rolled before Mobley could move.
Mobley was pronounced dead in the King’s Daughters Medical Center emergency room that night, according to a report in The Daily Leader.
Climber electrocuted
A climber was killed after coming into contact with power lines while trimming a tree April 28, 2019, in Cortland, in Northern Westchester County, New York.
Police responded to a report of a man who had fallen out of a tree. An investigation found that Carlos M. Diaz, 56, of Peekskill, was employed by the homeowner for the purpose of tree trimming and came into contact with the overhead power lines.
Diaz was pronounced dead at the scene by the Westchester County Medical Examiner’s office, according to a Putnam Daily Voice report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed April 30, 2019, in Lenoir County, North Carolina, when the tree he was cutting fell on him. James “Gigi” Barnett, 60, of Pink Hill, N.C., died at the scene of the accident.
Barnett and another man were doing some tree work when the incident occurred. It was not clear if Barnett was working for a tree service or not, according to a WITN-TV and WITN.com report.
May 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed May 1, 2019, in East Price Hill, Ohio, when he was struck by a tree he was cutting down.
Alberto Tobias Deleon Chun, 22, a Guatemalan native living in Cincinnati, was cutting down several trees when one of the trees fell on him.
Emergency crews performed CPR on Chun but were unable to save him, according to a WXIX Fox19 Now report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was hospitalized in critical condition May 2, 2019, in Jerome, Idaho, and later succumbed to his injuries after being pinned under tree branches.
The man, described as being elderly, was helping to limb some felled trees behind an apartment complex. He was cutting off some branches when a number of the branches fell on him. The property owner, who was helping, removed the tree branches from the man. He started asking for help and for someone to call 911. One resident came out to help and began giving chest compressions before paramedics arrived.
Emergency crews did CPR and were able to get a pulse before putting the man on a medical helicopter, according to a KMVT-TV report.
Tree worker injured in fall
A tree worker was injured after falling about 40 feet while on the job May 8, 2019, in Yonkers, New York.
The worker was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, according to a Rockland/Westchester Journal News report.
Climber killed in tree
A climber was killed May 19, 2019, in Tampa, Florida, after he was crushed by a large branch while up in the tree.
The man was 30 feet up when he was struck, according to a WFTS Tampa Bay ABC Action News report.
Rescuers had to use a crane to lift the large branch off the man, and it took them several hours to remove the man’s body from the tree, according to a Spectrum News 9 report.
Ground worker electrocuted
A man was electrocuted May 21, 2019, while trimming trees in Mount Morris, New York.
Cecil W. Beardslee-West, 21, of Perry, N.Y., was working for a tree-removal service at a private residence. He was holding onto a metal chain attached to a crane that was moving logs from the back of the residence to the front yard near the road’s edge. While Beardslee-West was holding onto the chain, the crane or the chain made contact with an overhead power line, electrocuting him.
Responding personnel were unable to resuscitate Beardslee-West, according to a report from The Livingston County News.
Man killed while cutting fallen tree trunk
A man was killed while cutting up a fallen tree trunk May 21, 2019, in Mansfield, Ohio, when the root ball shifted, striking him.
Aaron Beer, 67, of Mansfield, was cutting the tree trunk on a hill when the root ball of the large maple shifted and fell on him. Beer was pronounced dead at the scene. He died of asphyxia.
The tree had blown down a year ago, according to a Mansfield News Journal report.
Tree worker killed in fall
A tree worker was killed May 22, 2019, in Longview, Texas, when he fell while trimming branches.
Perry Pettit, 68, fell and became entangled in the tree branches. He later was pronounced dead, according to a KYTX CBS19 report.
Worker killed by chain saw cuts
A man died after suffering a deep gash to his neck while using a chain saw to cut logs May 26, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri.
The man, 40, was working with other men trimming a tree. Witnesses told police they didn’t see the man get cut by the chain saw, but saw the immediate aftermath and called 911. The man also sustained a deep cut to his left arm.
Medics were not able to save the man, and he was declared dead at the scene, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.
The left arm cut suggests that the left hand wasn’t on a chain saw handle when the accident happened.
Loader operator killed by tree trunk
A tree-service worker died after being struck and pinned in his loader by a log he was moving May 28, 2019, in Richmond, Rhode Island.
Richard Mopps, 25, of Coventry, R.I., was using a skid-steer loader to lift a 20-foot log when the log pitched downward, with one end hitting the ground and the other falling into the machine. The weight of the log bent and twisted the safety bar, pinning Mopps inside the driver’s compartment.
First responders performed CPR on Mopps after they and his co-workers cut and removed the log and safety bar. Mopps succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Rhode Island Hospital, according to a WPRI 12/FOX report.
Worker electrocuted trimming trees
A worker was electrocuted while trimming trees May 28, 2019, in Falls Church, Virginia.
Jacinto Gomez Diaz, 41, of Culpeper, Va., was working for a tree-service company, operating from an elevated position, when he made contact with a live power line. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to an Associated Press report in The Washington Post.
Line-clearance tree worker dies in struck-by
A line-clearance tree worker was killed May 29, 2019, in Happy Camp, California, when he was struck by a felled tree.
Timothy Lee Ikola, 52, of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, was working for a tree company with a crew of five others doing line clearance on a right of way. He was the faller and was felling a tree uphill. The crew had two ropes in the tree to direct its fall, but the tree twisted and came off the side of the stump, then slid fast downhill, crushing Ikola.
His co-workers provided CPR for an hour until emergency responders arrived, but Ikola could not be revived, according to a report that came directly to TCIA.
June 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Worker injured when snagged in rigging
A man was trapped 75 feet up in a tree for more than 30 minutes June 2, 2019, in Chicago, Illinois, after being snagged by rigging tied to a cut limb.
The man was attempting to lower a severed tree limb when the branch got tied up in his safety tethers. “The limb went down and he went up, like a pulley,” according to an investigating fire department commander.
After he was in the tree for between 30 and 40 minutes, emergency crews were able to place the man in a basket and lower him to safety. The man suffered a broken leg during the incident but was in stable condition. It is suspected his leg was entangled in a safety line and snapped due to the force of the falling tree branch.
It was not immediately clear whether the man was a city worker or private contractor, according to a WBBM Newsradio 780AM report. It was not clear from the report whether the victim was a climber already in the tree or a ground worker.
Man shocked while trimming trees
A man was shocked and seriously injured after contacting a high-voltage power line while trimming trees June 2, 2019, in Royalton, Kentucky.
The Magoffin, Ky., man had severe burns to his hands and feet, with exit wounds on both feet. He was treated and assessed at the scene by a medic with Life Guard Ambulance Service, then flown to Cabell Huntington Hospital, where he received treatment for serious burns.
The victim was likely to lose his right hand as a result of the injuries, and a medical team was performing skin grafts to his feet where the exit wounds were in an attempt to save them, according to a Salyersville Independent report.
Climber dies after being struck by limb
A climber working for a tree service was killed June 3, 2019, in Northport, Alabama, after being struck by a limb.
Kenny Tidwell, 40, of Coker, Ala., had been working about 60 feet off the ground when he was injured. He died at the scene, according to a Tuscaloosa News report.
Another report said Tidwell was cutting a limb when the limb struck him.
Climber killed in struck-by
A tree climber who was apparently injured by falling branches June 4, 2019, while working in Laguna Hills, California, died from his injuries before he could be removed from the tree.
A resident spotted the man hanging in the tree and called authorities. Responding paramedics found the man trapped by heavy limbs in a eucalyptus tree and hanging unconscious from a harness.
The man appeared to have been seriously hurt when at least one large branch fell on his head or neck. He may have died before an ambulance could arrive. A crane was needed to remove the branches trapping the man so that firefighters could bring him down from the tree, according to a report in The Orange County Register.
Two tree workers hurt in crash
Two tree workers were hurt after their pickup truck, which was carrying a tank of herbicide, went off the roadway and crashed June 5, 2019, in Saline, Kansas.
Kenneth Reh, 75, of Inman, Kan., told deputies he fell asleep while he was driving the 2015 Ford F550, which hit a culvert. Reh was taken to the hospital to be treated for a cut on his head and checked out for chest pain. His passenger, Roman Loera-Ramos, 56, had a cut on his face and was treated at the scene by EMS.
Emergency Management was on scene to check the area after a small leak was found in the tank that held weed killer, according to a KSAL-AM report.
Man injured when struck by cut tree
A man was injured June 6, 2019, in Blair Township, Pennsylvania, when a tree he was cutting down fell on top of him.
Emergency crews responded to the scene, and the 75-year-old man was taken to the hospital for unknown injuries, according to a WJAC NBC Channel 6 report.
Man electrocuted while trimming trees
A man died June 8, 2019, in Southfield, Michigan, after making contact with a high-voltage electrical wire while trimming trees in a backyard.
Erik Stillwell, 26, of Southfield, was believed to have died instantly from the shock.
The Southfield Fire Department had to call in a special unit trained on rope rescue to get Stillwell down after the accident. Power had to be shut down, and Stillwell was in a harness that firefighters had to work around in order to free him, according to a WXYZ Channel 7 report.
Stillwell was a general foreman at a local tree service, but was doing the homeowner a favor and not working for the company at the time of the incident, according to a comment at www.wxyz.com.
Stillwell had a burn on his right hand and a hole at the bottom of his left shoe, indicating the electricity had gone right through him, according to a fox2detroit.com report.
“We think his foot slipped (he was wearing climbing cleats and harness), throwing him back just enough that he caught a 75,000-volt electric wire with his hand,” wrote Kathy Stilwell, Erik’s stepmother, in a comment on a gofundme page set up for the family.
She added that his co-worker/friend did not see the actual episode, but he looked up and saw Erik hanging from his climbing harness and called 911. It was about an hour and a half before Stillwell was finally brought to the ground, according to Kathy Stillwell.
Climber seriously injured in fall
A tree trimmer was hospitalized with serious injuries after he fell at least 50 feet from a pine tree June 13, 2019, while doing work at a home in northwest Jacksonville, Florida.
The homeowner’s description of the incident makes it sound likely the climber was struck and knocked from the tree as a result of a “barber-chair” scenario.
“They took down the top, the second half, he cut it in the front, took a gash out, went around to the back, he cut it and the guys started pulling on it,” homeowner Duncan Jackson told WJXT-Channel 4. “It came forward and it seemed like a piece of the tree went backward and slapped him right off the tree. And he came flying down.”
Man survives being shocked while trimming tree
A tree worker was shocked and injured after making contact with a power line while trimming trees June 19, 2019, in Henderson County, North Carolina.
Dalton Whitaker, 22, of Henderson County, was on the job with a local tree service in Asheville when the 7,200-volt shock left him unconscious with burns on his head, shoulder and legs.
Whitaker’s cousin, who thought Whitaker was dead, hoisted him down 30 feet from the tree. Whitaker was airlifted to Mission Hospital and eventually moved to the JMS Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, where he finally regained consciousness.
Even after what happened, Whitaker is anxious to return to work, according to a WLOS ABC 13 report.
“It’s going to make me more observant, it’s going to make me more safe,” Whitaker told WLOS.
Tree worker killed on job
A tree worker was killed while pruning or removing a tree June 20, 2019, in Silver Lake, in northwest Shawnee County, Kansas.
Cory B. Harr, 31, of Topeka, was working for a local tree service at the time of the incident that resulted in his death. Harr was pronounced dead at the scene after an attempt was made to revive him using CPR, according to a Topeka Capital-Journal report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man cutting trees was killed June 20, 2019, in Prince George’s County, Maryland, when he was hit by a falling, uprooted tree. The man was hit by the uprooted tree while he was cutting another tree on farm property. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WTOP report.
Man loses arm in chipper incident
A man who had been working in a tree suffered critical injuries after falling possibly into or on top of a wood chipper June 20, 2019, in Parkville, Maryland.
The man was transported to the University of Maryland shock trauma center. It is unknown if he landed in or around the wood chipper, but his arm was severed at the shoulder, according to a WMAR-2 News report.
Climber dies in 20-foot fall
A climber working for a tree-service company died June 20, 2019, in Ocala, Florida, after falling about 20 feet to the ground.
Nories Brown, 66, of Ocala, was cutting limbs from a tree when he fell from the branch he was standing on.
According to the tree-service owner, Bernard Goodman, Brown was about 20 feet up in the tree attempting to cut a large piece of it. Brown removed his safety harness and shook and twisted the piece he was trying to cut. Brown and that portion of the tree then fell. Brown landed face down on top of a log already on the ground.
Goodman told a neighbor to call 911, according to an Ocala Star Banner report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed June 25, 2019, in Gig Harbor, Washington, after a tree he was trying to cut down fell on him.
The 76-year-old man’s wife and granddaughter went looking for him just after 4 p.m. when he did not respond to their calls. They found him lying on the ground in a heavily wooded area near his driveway. He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Pierce County sheriff’s deputies investigated the scene and found a broken chain saw next to where the man’s body was located. A nearby tree stump had fresh cut marks. They reported that it appears the man was trying to fall the tree when the top half broke off and fell near the trunk, hitting the man, according to a report in The News Tribune.
July 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
This first item was not included in the Accident Briefs from June 2019 that appeared in the August 2019 issue of TCI.
Man dies after pinned between truck and trailer
A landscape worker died June 24, 2019, in Raleigh, North Carolina, after being caught between a truck and trailer.
Matthew Russell Ellis, 21, of Chapel Hill, and a student at Greensboro College who was working a summer job for a landscaping company, was injured when he was caught between a truck and a trailer. Ellis was taken to UNC Hospitals but died during surgery, according to the News & Record and WRAL reports.
Line-clearance worker electrocuted
A line-clearance worker was electrocuted when he struck a power line while trimming trees July 2, 2019, in North Wichita, Kansas.
Sergio Escalera, 53, of Wichita was working for a local tree-trimming company trimming trees in an elevated bucket when he struck the electrical line. A co-worker of Escalera’s asked a resident to call 911, according to a report in The Wichita Eagle.
Ground worker killed in struck-by
A ground worker was struck and killed by a limb he was helping rope down July 6, 2019, in Augusta, Georgia.
Horace Neal Blalock, 38, and a co-worker for a local tree care company were cutting down a tree in a yard. Blalock was holding a line for the climber who was cutting the limb. The limb came crashing down, hitting Blalock.
EMS crews took Blalock to Augusta University Medical Center, where he died from blunt-force trauma.
The climber was not injured, according to the WRDW CBS Channel 12 report.
Worker killed in struck-by
A man was killed when he was struck by a tree he was attempting to cut down July 9, 2019, in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Weston Charles Wheeler, 48, of Nacogdoches, had been hired by a property owner to cut some trees. A tree that was in the process of being cut down fell on Wheeler, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a KTRE ABC Channel 9 report.
Climber pinned, injured
A climber was pinned high up in a tree for more than an hour by a limb he had cut July 13, 2019, in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The man was trying to cut a large limb out of a tree behind a home. The limb pinned his arm against the tree. Wake New Hope Fire Department responders found him hanging 35 feet in the air. Several departments and a local tree service responded to help free the man.
The climber was checked out for possible arm and shoulder injuries, according to a WRAL.com report.
Line-clearance worker shocked
One of two workers performing line clearance July 14, 2019, in Detroit, Michigan, suffered a shock after one or more tree branches touched a power line. The man was taken to Detroit Receiving Hospital for an evaluation and was hospitalized, according to a WXYZ ABC Channel 7 report.
Operator hurt after knocked from bucket by car
A lift operator was critically injured July 16, 2019, in Queens, New York, after the lift truck was struck by a car and he was thrown from the raised bucket.
An 85-year-old motorist apparently was trying to pull a U-turn when she first backed her car into a tree, then lurched it forward, striking the truck. The 28-year-old worker in the truck’s fully raised bucket was thrown to the street. Medics rushed him to North Shore University Hospital in critical condition with a broken wrist, head trauma and a collapsed lung.
The driver appeared to be unhurt and faced no immediate charges, according to a New York Daily News report.
Woman killed felling tree
A 74-year-old woman felling trees on her property was killed July 16, 2019, in Kamas, Utah, when she was struck by a tree.
The woman, of West Valley City, Utah, was using a chain saw to cut down dead trees near her family’s cabin. She was cutting a tree that had another dead tree leaning against it when the leaning tree fell and hit her in the head, causing a fatal head injury.
She was found by the leader of a scout troop who had been helping her and her husband clear away debris earlier in the day. The scout leader went to check on her after she didn’t show up for an appointment that afternoon, according to a KSL NewsRadio report.
Zoo worker dies during aerial-rescue training
A tree worker for the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C., was killed July 18, 2019, while performing a rescue drill at the facility.
The state Department of Labor confirmed that Branson Joe Langley, 38, was participating in an aerial-rescue drill when he fell 20 to 30 feet from a tree and died at the scene, according to a WRAL-TV report.
One killed, two hurt clearing storm debris
One man was killed and two others were injured while clearing fallen trees July 19 and 20, 2019, in Oconto County, Wisconsin.
John Nichols, 67, died from his injuries after he was hurt trying to remove a fallen tree in Townsend, Wisc., on July 19. Nichols was trying to remove a fallen tree with a chain attached to a four-wheeler. The chain broke, causing the tree to break free. The tree struck Nichols in the head, causing serious head trauma. He was taken to the hospital and died from his injuries on Saturday, July 20, according to an NBC26 report.
A second man, 39 years old, was hurt in the same incident and was hospitalized with eye and facial injuries.
On Saturday, July 20, in a different incident, a 70-year-old man seriously hurt his leg while cutting a tree in Riverview, Wisc. He also was taken to a hospital, according to the NBC26 report.
Man hurt cutting tree from loader bucket
A man using a tractor’s loader bucket to access dead or broken tree limbs so he could cut them with a chain saw July 20, 2019, in Byron Township, Michigan, was seriously injured when he lost his balance, flipped over and fell to the ground.
Pete Boverhof, 43, of Byron Township, had gone to his parents’ house to clean up storm damage after thunderstorms had moved through the area. After the accident, Boverhof was unconscious briefly, for about two minutes, then couldn’t feel his legs or anything below the waist. He was admitted to intensive care with several damaged vertebrae, according to a WOOD TV8 report.
Worker injured clearing utility lines
A utility worker suffered a paralyzing injury while clearing storm-damaged trees from utility lines July 20, 2019, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
Brian Ortner, a lineman for Solarus, a Wisconsin Rapids-based internet, phone and television service provider, was called in to work after a massive wave of thunderstorms produced 80 mph gusts that snapped utility poles and dropped branches and whole trees on utility lines throughout the Wisconsin Rapids area.
He was clearing debris off telephone lines when a tree limb swung and hit him in the back, according to a statement from his wife that was reported by the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune.
The line Ortner was cutting kept the tree limb from completely pinning him to the ground, his wife said. Ortner could not feel his legs. The Wisconsin Rapids Fire Department responded to the scene and took him to Marshfield Medical Center, according to the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune report.
Tree worker injured in electrical incident
A tree trimmer was injured in what was described as an electrical accident July 22, 2019, in Santa Barbara, California.
Santa Barbara Police responded and confirmed power lines were involved. CPR was reportedly performed on the worker, who officials said worked for a tree service out of Bakersfield, Calif.
The tree company reported that the victim, a man, was still critical but stable and doing better two days after the accident, and that he was relocated to a burn center, according to a KSBY Channel 6 News report.
Operator rescued from bucket after fire
A bucket operator was rescued by firefighters July 22, 2019, in Crooked Lake, Indiana, after the boom on the aerial lift he was operating struck a power line, sparking a fire that disabled the hydraulics and left him trapped 55 feet in the air.
Robert L. Cook of Cook Tree Service was working on a tree when his truck came in contact with a 7,200-volt power line, causing it to arc. This in turn caused the body and boom of the truck to catch fire. Firefighters used a Fremont Fire Department ladder truck during the rescue, allowing Cook to crawl out of his bucket and onto the ladder. Power-company crews were on the ground to keep the wire from coming into contact with the ladder truck.
Cook was treated on the ground by paramedics, according to Herald Republican and kpcnews.com reports. (See photo, page 64)
Man felling tree killed in struck-by
A man who was trying to cut down a tree July 22, 2019, in Oak Grove, Minnesota, was killed when he was struck by the falling tree. Deputies administered first aid upon arrival, but the man, 49, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a bringmethenews.com report.
Climber dies in struck-by
A climber died July 24, 2019, in southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, when he was struck by a cut limb.
Milton Tiru, 35, of Lancaster, Pa., owner of LumberJack Boyz Tree Service, LLC, was working about 50 feet up in a tree in the backyard of a residence when a piece of the tree swung and hit him in the chest. Tiru was left unconscious and hanging from his harness.
Rescue workers were able to get Tiru down but canceled a call for a helicopter transport, and instead asked for state police to respond, according to a lancasteronline.com report.
Worker dies in fall from palm
A man died July 28, 2019, in La Jolla, California, after falling from a palm he was trimming. Noe Valle Cayetano, 40, of Escondido, Calif., fell about 50 feet.
Two off-duty nurses, who were driving by the house at the time Valle Cayetano fell, stopped to help and administered life-saving measures, but Valle Cayetano was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a thelegaladvocate.com report.
August 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Climber electrocuted
A line-clearance contractor was electrocuted August 1, 2019, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The New Orleans Fire Department responded to a call reporting a man who was unresponsive and suspended in a tree by a harness. The 39-year-old man is believed to have come into contact with live wires while cutting back tree limbs from power lines.
Members of the New Orleans Fire Department performed a high-angle recovery using an Entergy lift truck to retrieve the arborist.
Once on the ground, the victim was pronounced dead by New Orleans EMS personnel, according to a WDSU Channel 6 report.
Operator escapes injury when crane tips
A crane being used for residential tree trimming toppled onto a neighbor’s house August 2, 2019, in Willoughby, Ohio.
The operator jumped out quickly, according to a witness, and nobody else was hurt, according to a Fox8 Cleveland report.
One man killed, second hurt in fall from bucket
One man was killed and a second man was injured when they fell from the aerial-lift platform they were working in while cleaning up storm damage August 2, 2019, in Brazeau, Wisconsin.
Zachary Rusch, 28, of Coleman, Wisc., died two days after the accident.
Rusch and Steven S. Hoida, 26, of Pound, Wisc., fell about 40 feet from a boom bucket onto the ground while working at a home. Hoida told a deputy they “swung the bucket around and something happened” just prior to them falling, according to the Oconto County Sheriff’s Office.
The two men were cleaning up damage caused by a July 19 storm that downed tens of thousands of trees throughout the northern part of the county, according to a Green Bay Press-Gazette report.
Homeowner killed doing tree work from ladder
A homeowner died August 4, 2019, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, after a large tree branch he was cutting fell on him, knocking him from the ladder he was standing on.
David Wayne Sowell, 53, fell from a 5-foot ladder as he was trimming a large limb from a tree in his front yard and the limb landed on him, striking him in the head, according to a TulsaWorld.com report.
Tree worker hurt when truck tips
A tree worker was injured August 5, 2019, in Easttown, Pennsylvania, after the bucket truck the worker was in tipped over.
First responders were able to free the worker, who was transported to Paoli Hospital with unknown injuries, according to a Daily Local News report.
Woman loses legs in wood-chipper accident
A tree worker lost both her legs in a wood-chipper accident August 5, 2019, in Ashland City, Tennessee.
Jessi Bagwell, 39, and at least one other person were trimming trees when a rope got caught in the chipper and wrapped around one or both legs, causing her to be drawn into the chipper.
Bagwell credits her boyfriend with saving her life by using a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
She was airlifted to Vanderbilt Medical Center, where both legs had to be amputated above the knee, according to a WSMV News4 Nashville report.
Tree worker electrocuted
A tree worker was electrocuted August 6, 2019, in Sebastian, Florida, after contacting a power line.
Pablo O’Campo Bustamante, 41, of Vero Beach, made contact with an active power line while landscaping. Emergency responders arrived and turned off the power with the help of Florida Power & Light workers. Bustamante was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterward, according to a Treasure Coast Newspapers and tcpalm.com report.
Man electrocuted using pole saw
A bucket operator was electrocuted while trimming trees August 7, 2019, in Newburgh, New York.
Reynaldo Martinez-Cruz, 34, of Poughkeepsie, was using a pole saw from a bucket lift about 20 to 25 feet off the ground when he encountered live power lines, according to a Times Herald-Record report.
Two tree workers killed when compact lift tips
Two tree workers were killed August 8, 2019, in Happy Valley, in Clackamas County, Oregon, when the compact lift they were using to access trees tipped over.
The arborists were helping take down a shade installation strung over the grounds at a music festival. The arborists had been ascending in a boom lift before climbing further up trees to get to ropes holding up the complex shade installation. They were wearing safety equipment and were roped to the boom lift, which was reportedly positioned on an incline.
The arborists were approximately 40 feet in the air when the boom lift tilted and fell. The arborists, still roped to the lift, were pulled to the ground with considerable force. Attempts at CPR were unsuccessful, according to a Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree-service employee died after a tree he was working on fell on him August 10, 2019, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Emergency responders arrived on scene to find the victim had sustained serious injuries after the tree fell on him. Vernard Sterling, Sr., 59, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WBRZ-TV and The Advocate reports.
Landscaper shocked trimming trees
A landscaper survived an electric shock while trimming trees August 15, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The worker, 32, somehow came in contact with the power lines.
Paramedics were called and the victim was in stable condition when he was taken to Broward Health Medical Center for treatment, according to a South Florida Sun Sentinel report.
Teen killed by cut tree
A 14-year-old boy was killed August 16, 2019, in Prairie Lake, outside Chetek, Wisconsin, when a tree fell on his head during storm-cleanup efforts.
Floyd Lehman, of Melrose, Wisc., was part of a group of people cleaning up downed trees when he was hit in the head by a falling tree that was being cut down by another person.
Lehman died at the scene, according to a WXOW report.
Climber killed by rigged piece
A climber was killed August 17, 2019, in Lakewood, Washington, when the cut piece attached to a crane swung back and struck him.
The climber was working about 50 feet up a 90-foot dead Douglas fir. The top half of the tree was attached to a crane. When the climber severed the top 40-foot section of the tree, it swung back toward him and pinned him against the still-standing section he was attached to.
The man was pronounced dead on scene. Fire crews brought his body down to ground level, according to a report in The News Tribune.
Worker electrocuted trimming palm
A man was electrocuted August 18, 2019, while trimming a large palm in Huntington Beach, California.
Donato Lopez Gonsalez, 39, of Costa Mesa, was removing a frond from the palm when the frond hit a power line. Someone called 911 to report that a man was hanging from the tree unconscious.
Police and fire officials got Gonsalez down from the tree, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a KTLA and Daily Pilot report.
Lift operator electrocuted
A tree worker died August 23, 2019, in Gahanna, Ohio, after coming in contact with a live power line.
The 24-year-old man working for a tree-service company was in the platform of an uninsulated tracked lift when he was electrocuted, according to a WBNS-10 TV report.
One killed, two injured in tree-cutting accident
A 63-year-old man died and two others were hurt August 25, 2019, in a tree-cutting accident east of Austin, Minnesota.
The 63-year-old man and a 77-year-old man fell about 30 feet while trimming trees. The 77-year-old was airlifted to Mayo Clinic-Saint Marys in Rochester, Minn., with serious injuries.
The third person, a 38-year-old man, was trapped underneath the equipment used to lift the two others. He was taken to Mayo Clinic Health Systems Austin and was expected to be OK.
This was a non-commercial incident on a private rural property, according to a KTTC-TV News report.
Man killed watching tree work
A man died some time prior to August 27, 2019, in Casper, Wyoming, while a resident was having trees in his yard taken down by a contractor.
The incident was reported in a Casper City Council meeting on August 27, but details were sketchy, including when the incident occurred and what exactly happened.
One man, 89 years old, was having trees in his yard taken down. Individuals had knocked on his door saying they could cut down his 60-foot cottonwood trees. The 89-year-old man was apparently out watching the removals.
A rope snapped while the contractors were cutting the tree. It wasn’t clear from the article whether that resulted in the homeowner being struck or one of the tree workers falling. But a man sustained a damaged femoral artery, and died 10 hours later, according to an Oil City News report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A man died August 27, 2019, after a tree he was cutting fell on his head in Pinellas County, Florida.
Jacob Schrader, 21, worked for a company that was hired by homeowners in the area to remove a tree from the yard. Witnesses told deputies the tree fell and hit Schrader in the head. Schrader was taken to Mease Dunedin Hospital with serious injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital a little before 4 p.m., according to a WFTS Tampa Bay ABC Action News report.
Man killed in tree accident on golf course
A man died after suffering an injury while cutting down a tree at a golf course August 28, 2019, in Six Mile, South Carolina.
Benjamin Wood, 32, of Pendleton, worked for The Cliffs, a collection of private luxury residential communities around the Blue Ridge Mountains. He was injured while cutting down a tree, but it was not immediately clear how he was injured.
Wood was later pronounced dead at Cannon Memorial Hospital, according to a report in The Greenville News.
Bucket operator electrocuted
A man died August 31, 2019, after being electrocuted while trimming tree branches away from power lines in Naples, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
Emergency responders found Jeremy Hughes, Matthew Rambo and Walter Glen Ward, 38, at the scene. All worked for a tree care company.
Ward was in a boom-lift 35 feet in the air, hanging over the metal railing of the cage. A running gas-powered chain saw was stuck in the trees near the boom-lift.
Hughes told officers he heard a big electric pop, and when he looked up, he saw Ward was being electrocuted from the power lines.
Rambo tried to move the lift away from the tree branches, but it made Ward tilt further out of the cage. Officers told Rambo to stop and had to wait until the Naples Fire Department could get there.
Naples Fire was able to bring the boom-lift down safely and found a pulse in Ward, and began performing CPR.
Ward’s left hand had been burned and split open from the electrocution. He was transported to Naples Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Florida Power & Light cut power to the power lines, removed the chain saw from the trees and cut down branches that were lying directly on the lines, according to a WBBH-TV NBC Channel 2 report.
Idaho company fined $12K in aerial-lift death
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has fined an Idaho tree-service company after an employee was killed and another injured when the work platform of a bucket truck fell about 65 feet.
KTVB Channel 7, citing The Associated Press and The Times-News, reported on August 20, 2019, that the federal agency fined Tree Trouble of Burley, Idaho, nearly $14,800, but reduced the fine to $12,000 after reaching a settlement.
The November 2018 accident killed 28-year-old Corbin Bowers and injured 26-year-old Emmet Koyle.
The agency determined the bucket had stress cracks and critical components had not been inspected, repaired or maintained to standards.
The company also was cited for not reporting the work-related death within eight hours.
Owner Scott Yates says he’s, “trying to learn from my mistakes.”
Ed. – This incident was included in the Accident Briefs section of the January 2019 issue of TCI Magazine, page 66.
There is also a letter to the editor regarding this incident in the letters section in this issue, page 86.
September 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
This first item was not reported with other August 2019 incidents in the October 2019 issue of TCI.
Climber dies in fall from tree
A climber died August 13, 2019, in Magalia, California, after falling about 50 feet from a tree.
Gabriel Obregon, 59, of Chico, Calif., was trimming a tree when he fell, according to Chico Enterprise-Record and Action News Now reports.
One report to TCIA staff indicated that the branch Obregon used as a tie-in point broke off.
Aundrea Baker at M&S Wesley Tree Service in Paradise, Calif., alerted TCIA to this incident.
Homeowner dies in fall trimming tree ahead of storm
A man died September 2, 2019, in Ocoee, Florida, after falling from a tree he was attempting to trim ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s arrival.
The man, 55, had climbed about 15 feet into the tree with a chain saw, and he fell as he was attempting to position himself to cut branches. The victim was not using a ladder.
According to the victim’s family, he was cutting a tree limb to make sure it didn’t fall on the home, according to a WKMG-TV News 6 report.
Climber electrocuted trimming tree
A climber who apparently was trimming a tree while doing landscaping in Kahaluu, Hawaii, September 3, 2019, was electrocuted when he struck an electrical line.
Responding paramedics treated Purcell Leota, 25, of Pearl City, Hawaii, for cardiac arrest before taking him to an emergency room in critical condition, and he later died, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and KHON Channel 2 reports and a memorial on YouTube.
Carol L. Kwan, Certified Arborist, president of Carol Kwan Consulting, LLC, in Mililani, Hawaii, alerted TCIA to this incident.
Man killed cutting limbs ahead of Hurricane Dorian
A man died September 3, 2019, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, when the limb he was attempting to remove from a neighbor’s tree ahead of Hurricane Dorian collapsed onto his ladder.
Marcial Diaz Capetillo, 48, of Conway, S.C., was attempting to remove the limb when it collapsed on his ladder, throwing him to the ground and killing him instantly from traumatic injuries.
Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said Capetillo was not affiliated with any tree-removal service, nor was he using proper harnessing, according to a report in The Sun News.
Man electrocuted trimming tree
An aerial-lift operator died September 7, 2019, in East Peoria, Illinois, after being electrocuted in a tree-trimming accident.
Responding firefighters found a tree-trimming bucket truck on fire after part of the truck touched an overhead electrical wire. Gordon Sweatt, 62, of East Peoria, was on the ground next to the truck, but rescuers couldn’t reach him because the power line touching the truck was still active and Ameren Illinois workers needed to cut power to it. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Journal Star report.
Tree worker killed in chain-saw mishap
A man hired to remove storm debris died after a chain-saw accident September 7, 2019, in northern New Hanover County, North Carolina.
George Carlton, 55, of Tallahassee, Florida, was hired as an individual contractor to remove debris left behind from Hurricane Dorian at a residential property. Carlton was cutting trees when the chain-saw accident happened.
The homeowner says he was cutting grass when the accident happened, and Carlton ran toward him for help. The homeowner performed CPR until EMS crews arrived, but Carlton didn’t survive, according to a WECT News Channel 6 report.
Man injured cutting tree
A man injured his leg cutting a tree in the woods near a residence September 8, 2019, in International Falls, Minnesota, according to the International Falls Journal Police log.
Tree-service worker killed in fall
A tree-service worker was killed in a fall from a roof at a residence near Eagles Nest Lake, 15 miles west of Ely in northern St. Louis County, Minnesota, September 17, 2019.
Hans Christopher Smith, 55, was working to clear branches from a downed tree on the residence when he lost his footing and fell approximately 20 feet, landing on a propane tank below.
Smith was unconscious when first responders arrived, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Duluth News Tribune report. Smith owned Beartooth Tree Service and specialized in safely removing problem trees.
Louise Levy, a Certified Arborist and CTSP with Levy Tree Care, LLC, in Duluth, Minn., alerted TCIA to this incident.
Operator hurt when lift tips
An aerial-lift operator was injured when his truck tipped with the lift extended September 17, 2019, near Cleveland, north of Houston, Texas.
The truck was positioned alongside an open culvert while the operator was trimming trees away from the overhead power lines for the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative. The operator of the boom had extended out to the side and was trimming a tree when the outrigger apparently sank into the ditch.
The lift landed on the power lines, knocking out power. The operator was thrown from the bucket and landed in the dirt. He was injured but did not have life-threatening injuries, according to a report in The Vertikal Press.
Climber injured in tree, rescued by co-worker
A climber suffered a broken leg and had to be rescued by a co-worker after a tree-trimming mishap September 18, 2019, in Chula Vista, California.
The climber was 40 to 50 feet up the tree when he was struck and trapped by a branch he had cut. Another of the tree-crew members was certified in tree-rescue operations, a requirement of the company at the site that day, according to the local fire chief.
“As I arrived, I saw the rescue tree trimmer climb up and effect a rescue of his co-worker,” Chula Vista Fire Department Battalion Chief Richard Brocchini told The San Diego Union-Tribune. “He was doing a great job at it. It was very effective.”
Brocchini said the rescuer knew how to use his chain saw and cut the tree in such a way that it didn’t fall during the rescue operation.
Once the victim was lowered to the ground, he was taken to a hospital, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune report.
Climber found dead in tree
A climber was discovered dead in a tree September 18, 2019, on Camp Mather land near the Hetch Hetchy entrance to Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County, California.
Alfred Salas, 50, of Vallejo, Calif., an employee of San Francisco Parks and Recreation, appeared to have suffered some kind of medical emergency before he died. An autopsy was to be performed to determine the cause of death.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Industrial Relations said an employee of San Francisco Parks and Recreation “suffered a medical incident such as a seizure or heart attack while trimming a tree,” according to The Union Democrat report.
Lift operator killed by falling branch
A lift operator was killed by a tree limb while working at a private residence September 19, 2019, in Swansea, Massachusetts.
Taylor Bowden, 28, of Rehoboth, had been working in the bucket lift of a tree truck when he was struck by a limb. He was lowered from the bucket, and witnesses administered CPR. He was taken by ambulance to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I., where he was pronounced dead, according to The Boston Globe report.
Climber hurt in fall with tree
A climber for a contractor was injured September 25, 2019, while using a chain saw to cut a tree in Pocono Summit, south of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The man, 38, “was forcefully pulled to the ground along with the tree he was in,” a Pocono Mountain Regional Police press release stated, according to a report in The Morning Call.
Unresponsive and suffering from head, leg and shoulder injuries, the victim was flown by helicopter to a hospital trauma center, according to The Morning Call report.
Homeowner killed cutting tree
A man died September 26, 2019, in Indianapolis, Indiana, after apparently being injured while trimming a tree in his backyard.
The 62-year-old’s sister went to the home to check on him when she couldn’t contact him and found him unresponsive in the tree about 35 feet up.
The man had a helmet, harness and rope system. The fire department says he may have been struck by a branch that snapped.
Firefighters couldn’t get their trucks near the tree, so a department of public works bucket truck was used to help get the man’s body down, according to The Baltimore Sun and The Associated Press report.
One killed, two injured after contact with electrical line
One man died and two others were hospitalized after the trio of landscapers accidentally cut through a live electrical wire September 26, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas.
Mike Zuniga, 38, died after the line touched him across the stomach. His co-workers, Jose Maciel, 56, and Santos Ortiz, 55, also suffered injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals.
The three men were working for a private landscaping company trimming trees in a residential neighborhood. Zuniga and Maciel were in the bucket of a towable, articulating man-lift when Zuniga was shocked. Maciel suffered burns to his hands, while Ortiz suffered a mild electric shock after he tried to lower the bucket to the ground.
When SAPD arrived at the scene, they could not lower the two men in the bucket until CPS Energy cut the power, according to a San Antonio Express-News and mySA.com report.
October 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man died after a tree he was cutting down fell on top of him October 6, 2019, in Lake Township, Michigan.
Robert E. Lee, 67, and his friend, Timothy Weaver, 54, were attempting to cut down a large tree on Lee’s property. Lee notched one side of the tree, noticed it was a little bit off and went to the other side of the tree to make another notch, Weaver told police. The tree then fell on top of Lee, hitting his back and head and causing fatal injuries.
Weaver immediately called 911. Back Mountain Regional Fire and EMS and the county coroner’s office responded, according to a report in The Citizens’ Voice.
Comments posted with an online account of the incident indicated that the victim had recently retired after owning his own tree business for 40 years.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed October 8, 2019, while attempting to cut down a large, dead pine tree in Catskill, New York.
Robert Ellett, 61, of Athens, was using a come-along-type winch when the tree or a portion of the tree snapped and struck him in the head, causing a fatal injury. Greene County Coroner Richard Vigilo pronounced Ellett dead at the scene.
“A branch broke off the tree and broke his neck,” Vigilo said, according to a report in The Register Star.
Driver rescued after striking log truck
A driver made it out alive after he rear-ended a log truck October 13, 2019, in Whitfield County, Georgia, and his SUV was impaled by logs from the front windshield to the back window. Fortunately, the driver suffered only minor injuries. The driver apparently was leaning down to get something he dropped when he ran into the log truck. Because the driver was not in the upright position in his seat, his head ended up in a gap between the logs. Firefighters had to cut through 30 to 40 logs with chain saws before they could even start to cut open the car and rescue the man. But after that, it took only about 10 to 15 minutes to get the driver from the car, according to a CNN report. The Whitfield County Fire Department shared these images from the scene on its Facebook page.
Climber rescued after two hours in tree
A climber got stuck in a tree while working on a rural property October 14, 2019, near Sebastopol, California. The climber hung upside down about 60 feet from the ground for a couple of hours before local firefighters and tree companies rescued him.
The owners of the property called authorities about 5 p.m. to report that a man who had been working on their trees got stuck. The man was tangled in his ropes and bound to the tree, hanging upside down from his harness gear.
Firefighters from Gold Ridge, Sebastopol and Bodega arrived, as did a California Highway Patrol helicopter and an ambulance. However, firefighters weren’t able to reach the climber. Officials called two local tree companies, Fine Tree Care and Sandborn Tree Service, a TCIA member company, to help with the rescue because they had boom trucks that could reach the man. The two companies performed most of the rescue, and officials were able to bring the man down from the tree by 7 p.m.
The man, whose identity has not been released, didn’t suffer any major injuries but was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, according to a report in The Press Democrat.
Man seriously injured in struck-by
A man was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries October 14, 2019, after being struck and injured while cutting down a tree in Wareham, Massachusetts.
After fire crews assisted with cutting away some tree limbs so the man could be extricated, he was taken to Tobey Hospital before being taken by medical helicopter to a Boston hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to a WHDH TV 7 NEWS report.
It appeared from video that the hollow tree fell 90 degrees away from where it was intended, striking the victim.
Man killed by cut tree
A man died October 15, 2019, in Montcalm County, Michigan, after he was struck by a tree he was cutting down.
Ron Bivins, 57, of Greenville, Mich., died when part of the tree fell on him, according to a FOX 17 report.
Tree worker killed in 60-foot fall
A tree worker died after falling approximately 60 feet from a tree October 16, 2019, in the Herald Harbor Community in Crownsville, Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
The victim, estimated to be in his 20s, was in cardiac arrest following the fall.
He was part of a tree-trimming crew and was working at the back of a home when he was discovered by other members of his crew on the ground following an unwitnessed fall.
The tree worker was declared deceased on the scene by paramedics after attempts to resuscitate him were not successful, according to a www.eyeonannapolis.net report.
Tree worker struck and killed by truck
A tree worker was killed October 17, 2019, in Chesterfield County, Virginia, after being struck by a work truck. The worker had just finished a job and was walking across the street when he was hit. The driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene, according to a CBS 6 WTVR-TV report.
Lift operator dies in fall
An aerial-lift operator died October 23, 2019, in Inman, South Carolina, after he was catapulted out of the bucket he was working from.
Lewis “Buck” McDonald, 59, of Buck Tree Service, was cutting down a tree for a neighbor and had apparently attached two limbs or tree sections to his platform with a rope. The rope broke, causing a rapid unloading force on the boom, which catapulted him from the platform. He fell 15 to 20 feet and died at the scene from his injuries.
McDonald was not wearing a harness. Those who know McDonald well have said he was a very knowledgeable and safety-conscious individual, and that he usually wore a harness and lanyard when working from his bucket truck, according to a report on vertikal.net.
Tree worker killed by wayward vehicle
A man pruning trees at a home October 25, 2019, in Newman, California, died after a motorist swerved to avoid hitting a cat and the vehicle hit the tree where he was working.
Francis Coronado, 33, was traveling about 65 mph in a GMC Yukon with his two children in the back seat when the cat ran out of an orchard and into his path. Coronado swerved toward the home where 48-year-old Cornelio Cornejo of Los Banos was on a ladder pruning a tree. Cornejo was working with his family members who’d been hired to trim the trees at the home.
The Yukon went up a raised berm surrounding the property and became airborne, flying several feet above a 4-foot fence and hitting the tree Cornejo was pruning. The tree broke apart from the impact and knocked Cornejo, who was on the other side of the tree, off the top of the ladder.
Investigators were trying to determine if the Yukon hit Cornejo or if he was knocked off the ladder as a result of the crash.
First responders began CPR on Cornejo, and a medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene. Cornejo was taken by ambulance to the helicopter landing zone on Shiells Road, where he was pronounced dead. His father-in-law, who was holding the ladder, was not hurt.
The driver suffered minor injuries. His 5-year-old child suffered a cut lip and his 7-year-old was not injured. Both children were properly restrained in car seats, according to a report in The Modesto Bee.
Operator injured when lift topples
An aerial-lift operator was injured October 25, 2019, in Saugerties, New York, when the bucket truck he was working from toppled over.
Glen Thorne, 48, of Cairo, N.Y., a tree-service owner, was cutting a tree branch at the time of the incident. Saugerties police detectives established that the truck rolled over because Thorne did not use the front outriggers while having the boom extended.
Thorne, who sustained back and leg injuries, was treated at the scene by first responders and paramedics and then transported to the Health Alliance Broadway Campus in Kingston for further treatment, according to a report in The Register Star.
Man hurt in struck-by
A man sustained life-threatening injuries after being struck by a falling tree October 30, 2019, in Binghamton, New York.
The man, who apparently was working in the backyard of a single-family home, was taken by the Binghamton Fire Department ambulance to Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City.
It was not known whether the man had been trimming tree branches or whether he was attempting to remove a tree at the time of the incident, according to a WNBF 1290 News Radio report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed when a tree he was cutting fell on him October 30, 2019, in Yakima, Washington. Deputies found Gary Joseph Trepanier, 63, of Tieton, dead at the scene.
The tree crew had cables attached to the trunk and had planned for it to fall in a particular location, but it fell a different way and hit Trepanier.
Yakima County Coroner Jim Curtice said Trepanier’s cause of death was blunt-force trauma, according to a Yakima Herald-Republic report.
November 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2020 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed cutting firewood
A man was struck and killed by a tree while cutting firewood November 4, 2019, in Apache County, Arizona.
Greg Foster, 60, of Show Low, Ariz., was found dead near a U.S. Forest Service road November 6. He had been reported missing the day before.
Foster had traveled to the Wallow Fire fuelwood-permit area to cut wood November 4, but had not returned. Foster’s wife reported him missing the next morning, November 5.
He apparently died after receiving fatal injuries from a falling tree he had cut, according to a White Mountain Independent report.
Operator dies while pinned in bucket
A line-clearance tree trimmer was killed after being pinned in his aerial-lift bucket while cutting a tree November 14, 2019, in Martic Township, Pennsylvania.
Manuel C. DeJesus, 29, who worked for a local tree-service company, was aloft in an aerial-lift bucket cutting a tree when his chain saw became stuck in the tree. While he was trying to free the saw, part of the tree broke and fell on him, pinning him in the bucket, according to a LancasterOnline.com report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man died November 17, 2019, in Daviess County, Kentucky, after a tree fell on him while he was cutting firewood.
Stanley Sheldon, 62, of Lewisport, Ky., was struck by the tree he was cutting when it fell in the opposite direction from what was planned. Sheldon was trapped until the Knottsville Fire Department was able to cut the tree and remove it. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Sheldon was clearing recently purchased land when the incident occurred, according to an Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner died November 20, 2019, after a tree he was cutting on his property in Westminster, South Carolina, fell on him.
Someone called 911 after finding Timothy Andrew Butts, 62, of Westminster, under the tree on his land. Butts was cutting down an oak tree that was about 16 inches in diameter.
Butts was declared dead at the scene from multiple injuries, according to a Bristol Herald Courier report.
Lift operator rescued after contact with power line
An aerial-lift operator was rescued by firefighters November 23, 2019, in Atascadero, California, after he suffered a shock when his tree-trimming equipment touched a live 12,000-volt power line.
First responders found the man approximately 45 feet up in the basket of a platform lift, what it called a scissor-lift. The victim had been trimming trees when he made contact with the high-voltage power lines.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion, and then the power went out. Fire department paramedics utilized a ladder truck to quickly gain access to the patient and to assess the situation and the extent of the patient’s injuries.
Fire crews were able to manually lower the lift from the ground enough to clear the electrical power line so the patient could be safely transferred into the fire department ladder-truck platform. Fire crews worked adjacent to high-voltage power lines until PG&E could shut down the power.
The patient was found to have multiple severe burns, but was conscious and able to follow commands. The patient was transported to Sierra Vista Hospital’s Trauma Center, according to a Paso Robles Daily News report.
Man dies trying to remove stump with gasoline
A man died November 25, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after being burned while using burning gasoline to remove a tree stump.
Mark Kerley, a 57-year-old, disabled Army veteran, had been trying to help a friend with yard work and was using a mixture of gasoline and oil to burn the stump. Everything looked to be under control, according to the friend, but then he heard a loud explosion and saw Kerley was engulfed in flames.
The flammable chemicals exploded inside the can, blowing Kerley backwards and burning him badly. Kerley was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center but later died, according to a WRCB-TV report.
Cut tree breaks tree worker’s legs
A tree-service worker had both of his legs broken when the tree his crew was working on fell on him November 27, 2019, in North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania.
The crew was working at a home when the tree fell on the man, breaking his legs, according to a KDKA-TV report.
December 2019 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2020 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber rescued from 75 feet up
A climber was rescued after he reportedly was struck on the head by a limb and knocked unconscious while 75 feet up in a tree December 2, 2019, in Olympia, Washington.
The man had been removing tree limbs near the Evergreen State College campus when one of them fell and hit him on the head. The blow was hard enough that it cracked his helmet. He also was using a chain saw that was still running.
Although the man was first reported to be unconscious, he started to come around after fire crews arrived. He had the appropriate equipment on, which prevented him from falling to the ground.
The McLane/Black Lake Fire Department has “tree technicians,” one of whom climbed the tree and secured the chain saw. The rescuers then rigged a rope system to lower the man to the ground. The man, who was conscious but struggling to communicate, was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for care, according to a report in The Olympian.
Worker killed helping fell tree
A ground worker was killed when the tree he was helping remove split December 10, 2019, in Wakefield, Massachusetts.
The man, 34, was part of a crew working for an independent tree company helping remove a tree from a residential property. A witness said the victim was holding a guideline when the tree snapped unexpectedly, throwing him into a nearby wooded area, where he struck his head, according to a WCVB report. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other people were injured in the incident, according to the WCVB report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed December 13, 2019, near Garrett, Indiana, when a tree he was cutting down fell on him.
It appears that Layton Casselman, 22, of Garrett, was attempting to cut down the tree when it fell in an unexpected direction and he became pinned underneath.
Rescuers found Casselman unresponsive. Police, fire and EMS personnel worked at reviving him, but their efforts were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Star and kpcnews.com reports.
Operator injured when crane tips
A tree-service crane overturned onto its side December 18, 2019, in Essex Fells, New Jersey, trapping a 34-year-old worker underneath.
Crews from across Essex County helped to secure the crane and free the worker, who was reported to be in good condition after being taken to a local hospital.
The cause of the incident was unknown at the time of the News 12 New Jersey report.
Worker killed by felled tree
A worker was killed December 22, 2019, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, by a falling tree.
William Sisk, 36, from South Bend, Ind., was working as a ground worker, clearing brush and limbs after several trees were cut down.
At the time of the accident, a large tree was being cut by another employee who was intending for the tree to fall to the south. However, while a back cut was being made on the north side by the worker cutting the trunk, the tree began falling to the north, toward the feller and the victim, striking and trapping the victim underneath near the base of the tree trunk.
Sisk was freed from beneath the tree and transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a WNDU - Channel 16 report.
Tree worker survives being shocked
A tree worker was shocked by an electrical line in Newton, Massachusetts, December 23, 2019.
The tree worker survived the shock and was taken to a local hospital with undisclosed injuries.
According to a WHDH news report and video, the worker was on the ground and the crew was feeding a large section of tree into the chipper at the time on the incident. Both an aerial-lift truck and a crane were on the scene, along with the chip truck and chipper. The crane was towed from the scene by investigators, possibly indicating that the crane was the connection between the overhead power lines and the victim.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed when he was struck by a tree he was cutting down December 28, 2019, in Effingham, Illinois.
Eric Emberton, 51, of Effingham, was found dead in his backyard. Neighbors recounted they saw Emberton trimming limbs and starting to cut down the tree. A neighbor indicated they looked out a window a short time later and saw Emberton on the ground. They went to check on him, pulled the tree off of him, found him unresponsive and phoned 911, according to a Premier Broadcasting 97.9 XFM radio report.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring January through December 2018
January 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man killed trying to remove fallen tree
A man died January 3, 2018, reportedly while cutting a fallen tree for firewood at his mother’s home in Sneedville, Hancock County, Tennessee.
David Lee Lawson, 21, of Sneedville, was trying to remove a tree that had fallen into the fork of another tree. He was attempting to remove the top of the tree when the tree shifted, pinning him against the supporting tree.
Members of the Hawkins County Rescue Squad and Powell Valley Electric Cooperative reportedly worked for about two hours to free Lawson’s body, which was pinned about 30 feet off the ground, according to a report in The Rogersville Review.
Arborist loses part of arm in chipper
A climbing arborist lost part of his arm in a chipper accident January 5, 2018, near Lausanne, Switzerland, according to a January 8 post that was re-posted on TCIA’s Facebook page.
Florim Ajda, 36, from Peney, VD, Switzerland, and a European Tree Climbing Championship (ETCC) competitor and volunteer, lost his left hand and part of his lower arm. A fast response by others on site apparently prevented further injury. He was taken to a hospital and operated on immediately, and by early February was undergoing intensive rehab.
“Florim is one of the most competent and professional arborists we know. For years he has promoted safe work practices and professionalism, in training as well as during his everyday work,” the post read in part.
Taken from an original post by Mark Bridge, co-owner of Treemagineers, Ltd., in Dall Store, Ranouch Station, Scotland, Great Britain.
Man killed clearing trees
A man clearing an area of fallen trees was killed January 6, 2018, in Celina, Ohio, after a tree fell on him.
Nicholas Schroer, 64, of Celina, was using a tractor to pull down a tree that had already broken and was leaning. As he pulled, the tree fell and landed on another tree that then fell on him, according to a witness who called 9-1-1.
Schroer was transported by ambulance to Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, where he was declared dead, according to a report in The Daily Standard.
Landscape worker injured removing tree
A landscape worker was injured while attempting to remove a tree January 9, 2018, in Champaign, Illinois, according to a report relayed directly to TCIA staff.
Jaime Miller was on a ladder using a chain saw while attempting to remove a 45-foot section of tree trunk when the trunk fell the wrong way and crushed his hand.
Miller has been mowing lawns for more than a decade, but accepted the job to remove three dead, 60-foot-tall oak trees to help keep income coming in for the winter. He had no PPE or prior training in tree removals, according to the report.
Miller first removed lower lateral branches with a chain saw while working from an extension ladder. He then set a line in the remaining section of the narrow crown. A helper was holding the line.
Miller attempted to make a straight through cut – no notch – at about 12 feet off the ground. The saw cut through the trunk, which tottered then fell in almost the opposite direction intended. The 45-foot trunk piece fell onto his hand that was holding the saw and came to rest with the branch tips on the ground and the butt still attached to the trunk.
Emergency responders attended to his injuries on site before he was taken to a hospital for fractures in the middle three fingers and some skin separation. Fortunately, this was the extent of the injuries. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Reported to TCIA staff by Keith Klismith of Klismith Tree Service, a TCIA member company based in Champaign, Illinois. Klismith, who is an acquaintance of the victim, removed the rest of the tree safely, providing some very basic safety training as he performed the work. Photos courtesy of Jaime Miller.
Worker hurt in jump from moving vehicle
A tree worker was airlifted to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, January 9, 2018, after apparently jumping from a moving work truck in Davidson County.
The man was riding in the back seat of a tree service truck, coming home from work, when he reportedly jumped out of the moving vehicle. It was unknown how fast the vehicle was traveling, but the speed limit on that road is 35 miles per hour.
The victim, who authorities did not identify, was airlifted to Baptist Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police said a witnesses stated that the man had been depressed, according to a report in The Dispatch.
Man killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed January 15, 2018, while felling a tree in Conewago, York County, Pennsylvania.
Clifford Pelter, 45, and another family member had been cutting down trees on the property. While cutting one of the trees, one described as being a large-diameter tree, it kicked back and fell on Pelter, trapping him.
Responding officers found Pelter still trapped under the tree, dead, according to a WPMT FOX43 report.
Man hurt in struck-by
A man felling trees January 21, 2018, on Westport Island, Maine, was hurt when he was struck by a tree or tree part.
The man was cutting trees when a tree of unknown size and species fell on him, injuring his head. The man drove a tractor toward a house on the property, after the accident, and was conscious when crews arrived and remained conscious when loaded into the ambulance. He was taken to Wiscasset Municipal Airport, where he was put on a LifeFlight helicopter for transport to a hospital, according to a report in the Wiscasset Newspaper.
Worker hurt in fall from tree
A tree worker was injured and had to be hospitalized after falling from a tree January 23, 2018, in Columbia, Missouri. The extent of the employee’s injuries were not available, according to an ABC 17 News report.
February 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Homeowner killed cutting tree
A man was killed February 5, 2018, when he was struck by part of a tree he was trying to remove in Dry Fork, Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
Robert “Bob” Pollock, 73, of Dry Fork, was using a chain saw to cut the tree when a portion of the tree fell back on him. He died at the scene, according to a WAKG report.
Man dies after stuck-by injury
A man died February 20, 2018, two weeks after he was struck on the head while cutting a tree in Bethel Township in Branch County, Michigan.
Brian Thompson, 56, of Fremont, Indiana, sustained a fractured skull February 6, 2018, when he was hit in the head by a falling tree or tree part. Thompson was flown from the scene by an air ambulance and was taken to Parkview Regional Medical Center in Fort Wayne, Ind., for treatment. Thompson died at Parkview, according to a Herald Republican and kpcnews.com report.
Lift operator killed in struck-by
A lift operator was killed in an apparent struck-by incident February 21, 2018, in Ocala, Florida.
Charles Lindsey, 70, of Ocala, was found slumped over on the platform of the lift while it was in the air.
Sheriff’s deputies had responded after a woman called 911 to report seeing Lindsey on the elevated platform and his body slumped over the safety cage. The woman said she called to him, but he did not respond. Deputies said the platform was approximately 30 feet in the air, and it appeared Lindsey had been doing tree work.
Firefighters lowered the platform and pronounced him dead at the scene. An autopsy concluded that cause of death was blunt head trauma.
Deputies who examined the area found two ropes, one of them secured to a tree with a chain and hook. The other rope had a hook attached to it. Deputies believe the ropes may have been used to provide tension to the area of the tree Lindsey was trimming. Investigators believe a portion of the tree Lindsey was trimming struck him on top of his head and his face struck the safety-cage bar, according to an Ocala Star Banner report.
Tree worker dies after fall with broken tree
A tree service operator died February 23, 2018, when he fell from a tree in Hueytown, Alabama.
Patrick Snider, 44, of McCalla, Ala., who had his own tree service, was up in a tree while he and his crew were using a loader to remove a dead limb when the limb broke off at the trunk. Snider fell an estimated 35 to 40 feet and suffered massive head trauma.
Snider was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Birmingham News.
Operators and crew avoid injury when crane topples
An aerial-lift operator, a crane operator, tree workers and residents avoided injury when a crane being used for tree work tipped over onto two homes February 23, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
A tree service crew was removing a tree from a residential yard when the truck fell onto the residence while lifting a log. The neck of the crane fell into the house next door. No one was in either home at the time of the incident.
A worker was on a compact tracked lift by the crane when the truck started to turn over, and fellow crew members assisted in getting that worker to safety as the incident occurred, according to a Chattanooga Times Free Press report.
Climber electrocuted
A climber was electrocuted while trimming trees in the backyard of a home February 26, 2018, in San Jose, California.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene on a report that the man was dangling from the tree, about 30 feet from the ground. When first responders arrived, they found the man dead, the victim of electrocution after somehow coming in contact with a high-tension power line.
It was breezy in the neighborhood at the time, but it had not been established whether winds played a role in the accident, according to an ABC 7 News KGO-TV report.
News Item
Man pleads guilty to trying to throw co-worker into wood chipper
An Oregon man who worked for a tree service was sentenced to prison after he pleaded guilty to trying to push his co-worker into a wood chipper, headfirst, according to a February 8, 2018, report by KATU News 10.
Officers arrested Scott Iverson of Stayton, Ore., on attempted murder and attempted assault charges on May 1, 2017. The incident occurred April 26, 2017, in Keizer, Ore.
Iverson’s co-worker at R&R Tree Service, Austin Crawford, told police they were working at a property when Iverson put him in a choke hold and tried to push him into the running wood chipper. Another employee intervened and stopped Iverson.
Crawford told KATU that Iverson attacked him out of nowhere.
“I don’t want to die this way,” Crawford said he remembers thinking.
Iverson pleaded guilty to the attempted assault charge and was sentenced to 70 months in prison.
As reported in the June 2017 TCI Magazine Accident Briefs, Iverson and several other workers were working at a job site when he approached the victim, who was loading brush into the wood chipper, from behind. Iverson was accused of putting the man in a choke hold and pushing his upper torso onto the feed table of the machine.
The victim told police he struggled with Iverson, who made a second attempt to throw him headfirst into the machine before another employee saw the struggle and pulled Iverson off of the man.
Iverson walked away from the scene, but police found him the next day.
March 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man killed in struck-by
A 20-year-old man died after a tree-cutting accident March 3, 2018, in Hinds County, Mississippi. The victim was alone at the time of the incident. It appeared that the man was cutting limbs from a tree that was being held up by unstable limbs. The tree or limbs apparently fell, killing him, according to a Mississippi News Now/WLBT report.
Lift operator shocked, seriously injured
An aerial-lift operator was in critical condition after being shocked with 7,200 volts of electricity when he contacted power lines while trimming trees March 6, 2018, in Middleburg, Pennsylvania.
Richard Jordan, 47, owner of Jordan Tree Trimming in Middleburg, started having seizures after contact with the power line, then fell out of the bucket into the tree and then onto the ground more than 20 feet below, according to co-workers who witnessed the incident.
“I was trying to climb up to get him,” one co-worker told The Daily Item. “I should have stayed on the ground, I could have caught him.”
A photo from the scene showed Jordan was using an uninsulated compact lift with a metal basket.
Jordan was transported to Penn Valley Airport in Selinsgrove before being flown via Life Flight to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. He then was transferred to Lehigh Valley hospital in Allentown, according to a report in The Daily Item.
Landscaper hurt in fall while trimming from ladder
A landscaper was injured when he fell about 20 feet while trimming a pine tree from a ladder March 7, 2018, in Durham, North Carolina.
The man was part of a two-person crew topping a pine tree. The top of the tree kicked back and punched the worker off the ladder. The top of the tree then landed on the worker after he was on the ground. The victim was conscious and alert but had no movement or feeling in his lower extremities immediately after the incident. He was transported to Duke University Hospital.
Reported directly to TCIA by Travis Vickerson, CTSP, owner of Vertical Landscapes in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Climber dies in struck-by
A climber was killed March 9, 2018, while cutting a tree in Fairfield, Alabama.
The man was up in the tree when part of a limb he had just cut fell onto his safety lines and crushed him. Firefighters had to remove the man from the fork of the tree. He was pronounced dead on the scene in the tree, according to an article from The Birmingham News and AL.com.
Lift operator hurt in fall from truck top
A lift operator was seriously hurt when he fell as he tried to get into his lift-truck’s bucket March 13, 2018, while doing storm work as snow continued to fall in Carver, Massachusetts.
The worker, a 33-year-old Rhode Island man, was rushed to a hospital with head trauma and facial injuries. Police say he was alert and talking on his way to the hospital, despite his serious injuries.
The tree-service employee was trying to respond to a downed tree, and when he attempted to get into the bucket, he lost his footing, slipped, fell and hit his head. An eyewitness described seeing a lot of blood at the scene, according to a New England Cable News/NECN.com report.
Tree worker electrocuted trimming tree
A tree worker died March 16, 2018, in Camarillo, California, after making contact with a power line while trimming trees.
Eduardo Sampayo Jimenez, 29, of Oxnard, Calif., was working in the tree when he contacted a line and was electrocuted. He had been with the company for about two months before the accident.
Emergency workers weren’t able to get to the victim until the power was turned off, according to a report in The Camarillo Acorn.
Tree worker shocked by high-voltage lines
A tree-service worker was airlifted to a hospital March 19, 2018, after being shocked by power lines in Bedford, Texas.
The victim came into contact with high-voltage lines and was in critical condition, according to an NBC 5 KXAS report.
Worker nearly drowns when compact lift tips into pond
Two tree workers were trapped and one nearly drowned after a compact tracked lift the pair were moving tipped over an icy embankment next to a pond during a job March 21, 2018, in Rogers, Minnesota.
The co-worker was able to free himself, but Will Hamer, 45, of New Hope, Minn., was pinned under a portion of the three-ton machine, his head barely above water, for nearly an hour.
Hamer was submerged with water up to his chin for 20 minutes as his boss and the homeowner who hired them tried to get him free.
“I told him call 911, call 911, don’t try to use no jack to lift the lift up or you are going to shift it and hurt me more,” Hamer told KMSP-TV.
First responders then coordinated public works equipment and a tow truck to free him. Hamer credits Rogers Police Chief Jeffrey Beahen with not only keeping his nostrils just above water, but promising to get him out of there in one piece.
“[The water] went past my mouth up to my nose and so the chief was waving the water away and holding my chin up with his hand,” Hamer told KMSP-TV. “It was a long period of time to hold your chin up. ... If he wasn’t holding my neck up, I would have drowned. I would have totally drowned.”
Another 30 minutes in the frigid water, then he was free.
Hamer suffered a dislocated arm and broken pelvis and was facing weeks of intensive recovery and rehab. The co-worker suffered facial injuries and was also taken to the hospital for evaluation, according to the KMSP-TV and WCCO reports.
Worker hurt in struck-by
A public works employee was injured March 22, 2018, in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, while trying to dismantle a tree that fell in a storm the night before.
The 47-year-old man was trying to cut up a tree that had fallen onto a road. While trying to cut the tree into more manageable pieces for removal, a portion of the tree fell and hit the man in the back of his head. He suffered a minor laceration and was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood for treatment and further evaluation, according to a patch.com report.
Tree worker struck and killed by car
A tree worker was struck and killed by a car while working along a roadside March 29, 2018, in Falls Township, Pennsylvania.
Joseph “Eddie” George, 60, of Fairless Hills was part of a tree-service crew working on the side of the road when he was struck by a 2011 Toyota Camry.
George was transported to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Middletown where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to a LevittownNow.com report.
April 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Woman dies, two injured in crash with tree-service pickup
A woman was killed and two others were seriously injured when the driver of a tree care service truck reportedly lost control and caused a collision in Clearwater Township, Michigan, April 3, 2018.
Police said a 30-year-old Hamilton, Ohio, man was westbound driving a Toyota Tacoma truck belonging to a tree service when he lost control and crossed the centerline into the path of an eastbound Chevy Equinox.
The crash caused injuries to all four people involved and resulted in the death of Betty Lou-Korson Send, 51, of Williamsburg, Mich. She was a backseat passenger in the Equinox and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Equinox and her front-seat passenger were seriously injured. The driver of the Tacoma suffered non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Munson Medical Center for treatment.
Weather, road conditions and speed were believed to be factors in the crash, according to a report in The Grand Rapids Press and on mlive.com.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A man clearing damaged trees in his yard April 8, 2018, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, was killed after being pinned underneath a falling tree.
The 60-year-old man and his son had been removing damaged trees in his backyard when one large tree fell onto another tree. As the victim was working on the fallen tree, the other tree gave way and fell on him, pinning him underneath.
Fire and emergency crews responded to the scene and cut the tree so the man could be removed. The victim was taken to Holy Family Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to NBC10 Boston and 7 News WHDH reports.
Worker hurt in fall
A tree worker was injured when he fell between 30 and 60 feet April 10, 2018, while working on a tree in Brookfield Township, Ohio.
The township’s fire and EMS squad responded after a caller to 911 reported that a tree climber had fallen 60 feet. At the time of the call, the victim was conscious, according to a WFMJ 21 News report. A photo accompanying the report showed a crane was set up at the scene. Another report said the worker fell 30 to 40 feet.
Climber killed when tree fails
A climber was killed April 14, 2018, in Trumbull, Connecticut, when he fell about 45 feet after the tree he was working on gave way.
Eris Banegas-Gomes, 28, of Bridgeport, Conn., was wearing a safety harness and when he began removing the top portion of the tree, the tree broke off at its base and fell to the ground. Other members of the tree-removal work crew called 911 and tried to help the victim.
Banegas-Gomes was treated at the scene before being taken to Bridgeport Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to reports in the Connecticut Post and from AP and U.S. News and World Report.
Climber hurt in fall
A climber sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries after falling about 40 feet from a tree he was working on April 17, 2018, in Deerfield, Massachusetts.
The man, 27, from Turner’s Falls, Mass., was doing preventive maintenance work on the trees to clear them out of the way of high-tension wires, when his tether point, securing him in, likely broke, according to police.
The man was then brought by South County EMS to a point where a helicopter could transport him to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, according to a Greenfield Recorder report.
A subsequent report directly to TCIA indicated that the man was doing line-clearance work, but that his tie-in-point did not fail, rather he ran out of rope for his climbing hitch. It also indicated that the man landed on a stone wall and suffered several broken bones.
Firefighters rescue man trapped in palm
Firefighters rescued a man who got trapped in a palm while trimming it April 18, 2018, in Tucson, Arizona.
Timing was everything for this rescue, as firefighters had practiced for this exact situation the previous week. The man who was rescued did not need to go to the hospital and was back on his feet minutes after the rescue, according to a KGUN9-TV report.
Man killed unloading logs from truck
A man unloading logs at a sawmill was killed April 24, 2018, in Mesopotamia, Ohio, after being crushed by a log that fell off his truck. The victim was the driver of the log truck, according to a report in The Vindicator and on news@vindy.com.
A report directly to TCIA from a tree company delivering logs at the same time indicated that the victim may have worked for another local tree care company, and that the victim was removing rungs from the log truck when a log rolled off, crushing the man.
Harness may have caused climber’s fall
A 53-year-old tree worker survived a 30-foot fall from a tree April 25, 2018, in Godfrey, Illinois.
The man was working for a tree service when he fell. Firefighters arrived to find the man was conscious and alert. He was flown to Barnes Hospital in St. Louis by Survival Flight of Jerseyville.
A fire official said he thought recent rains softened the ground and cushioned the climber’s landing. The man had been in a safety harness while trimming a tree. He was with two coworkers, but they did not see the fall.
“We think there might have been some type of issue with his safety device,” the official said, according to a Belleville News-Democrat report.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A homeowner was killed while removing a tree on his property April 27, 2018, in Stuart, Virginia.
Carlos Junior Taylor, 70, had cut a tree on his property that made contact with an adjacent tree as it was falling to the ground. The force of the contact caused the second tree to be uprooted and fall as well, striking Taylor on the way down.
Taylor was unresponsive when medical officials arrived on the scene, according to a Martinsville Bulletin report.
Worker critically hurt by falling branch
A worker was critically injured by a falling tree limb April 30, 2018, in Marion, Massachusetts.
The man, 64, had been attempting to cut down a large pine tree. Marion Police, Fire and EMS were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, responders found the man unconscious but breathing, and suffering from “traumatic” injuries.
The victim was flown to Rhode Island Hospital, according to a report in Sippican Week and on SippicanVillageSoup.com.
Worker injured by motorist
A man trimming trees on a roadside near Mineola, Texas, April 30, 2018, was hit by a truck that swerved to avoid him in the first place. The man reportedly saw the truck coming at him and tried to jump out of the way, but instead jumped in the direction the truck was heading and was struck. The man was flown to the hospital in Tyler, according to a KETR-FM 88.9 report.
May 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Driver hurt when tree truck crashes
One man suffered minor injuries after his tree-trimming truck crashed into a tree in Goleta, in Santa Barbara County, California, May 1, 2018.
Firefighters responding found the white truck, with a wooden chip box built on the back, that appeared to have lost control struck a power pole, then veered off into a tree.
The male driver, estimated to be in his mid-20s, was trapped and needed extrication. After being removed from the vehicle, the driver was transported to Cottage Hospital via ground ambulance, according to an edhat.com report.
Tree faller hurt
A tree worker was hurt while felling dead trees May 1, 2018, in Crystal Falls, California.
The injured man, 28, from Texas, is a contract employee for PG&E who was clearing trees killed by bark beetle in Tuolumne County. He was transported by Mediflight to a Modesto hospital as a precautionary measure and was later released, according to a www.mymotherlode.com report.
Man cutting trees killed in struck-by
A man cutting wood was killed May 1, 2018, in Penn Township, Cass County, Michigan, when two trees fell on him.
Robert Wright, 73, of Vandalia, Mich., cut down a tree, which fell into another tree, causing it to be uprooted. Both trees then fell on Wright, causing fatal injuries.
Emergency responders extricated Wright from under the downed trees and began medical treatment, but he died from his injuries, according to a WSBT 22 report.
Man dies after being crushed by tree
A man was killed May 1, 2018, when he was crushed by a tree he was cutting in Savannah, Wayne County, New York.
Robert Manley, 57, of Seneca Falls, was using a chain saw to cut down a tree when the tree split lengthwise and fell on top of him. Manley was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Rochester Democrat and Chronicle report.
Tree worker electrocuted
A tree worker was electrocuted May 1, 2018, while doing line-clearance work in South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
Gregory Hanna, 29, was in a bucket trimming trees over power lines when he was electrocuted. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report from WPRI 12/Fox.
Man hurt in struck-by
A man was injured May 3, 2018, when a tree branch fell on his head while he was working in Southington, Connecticut. Two men were working on a tree when a branch fell. One of them was transported to an area hospital with at least a cut on the head, according to a patch.com report.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A man trimming a tree was hurt when he fell between 20 and 30 feet May 3, 2018, in Titusville, Florida. A county ambulance took the man to a helicopter, which flew him to Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, Fla., with traumatic injuries, according to a Florida Today report.
Man helping neighbor killed in struck-by
An elderly man helping his neighbor cut a tree May 3, 2018, in Rowley, Massachusetts, died after he was struck by the cut tree.
The 81-year-old man was helping a neighbor cut down a tree on the neighbor’s property when the accident occurred. It appeared the entire tree fell on the victim, but by the time firefighters arrived, the tree had been cleared. The victim was unconscious and a police officer was performing CPR when firefighters arrived.
He was taken by ambulance to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, then flown to a Boston hospital, but he died from his injuries, according to a report in The Daily News of Newburyport.
Operator rescued after bucket truck tips
A tree trimmer suffered minor injuries when his truck tipped, stranding him in the bucket May 3, 2018, in Morris Township, New Jersey.
Township firefighters rescued the male worker, who was knocked unconscious briefly and sustained minor injuries. He was stranded in the bucket 10 or more feet above the ground.
The tipped truck remained upright on two wheels as it rested against a tree, according to a report in the Morristown Daily Record.
Landscaper rescued from tree
Firefighters rescued an injured man trapped in a tree May 3, 2018, in Bethel, Connecticut.
The victim, a landscaper who was in the process of cutting down the tree when he became trapped, was injured and yelling for help. A man nearly 1,000 feet away heard the cries and called 911.
Firefighters were on the scene promptly and made use of Bethel Volunteer Fire Department’s Tower 1 to bring the man to safety. He was taken to Danbury Hospital, according to a patch.com report.
Man killed by felled tree
A man died after a tree fell on him May 6, 2018, in Postville, in northeast Iowa.
Stephen Smith, 65, of Postville, had been cutting down the tree when it fell and pinned him underneath. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a www.southernminn.com report.
Ground worker killed by felled tree
A worker was killed May 8, 2018, in Bellefontaine, Ohio, when a tree fell on him while he was working with a crew to clear a lot.
John W. Anderson, 56, of Bellefontaine, was operating a chipper for a local tree service while other workers were using chain saws to bring down trees. One of those trees struck Anderson. He was declared dead at the scene, according to a Bellefontaine Examiner report.
Operator hurt when lift truck overturns
A man doing contract tree cutting for the state suffered life-threatening injuries after the bucket truck he was working in overturned May 9, 2018, in Salisbury, Maryland.
A crew working for a contractor was cutting trees in the area using an aerial lift. While the bucket was extended in the air approximately 25 to 30 feet, the vehicle overturned.
Johny Arnoldo Picon Velasquez, 22, of Lexington Park, Md., the bucket operator, was transported to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore for life-threatening injuries, according to a WBOC-TV report.
Operator hurt when lift truck tips
An aerial-lift operator was hurt May 10, 2018, in Greenup, Kentucky, when the truck overturned while he was in the bucket.
The worker was flown to St. Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington. Crews on scene say the victim had a few broken ribs but was responsive, according to a WSAZ NewsChannel 3 report.
Worker killed by metal part thrown off chipper
A tree worker in Richfield, Minnesota, was killed May 16, 2017, apparently when the steel disk cover flew off a running wood chipper and struck him in the back of his head.
Bill Pipes, 51, a relatively new employee with the local tree service, was just finishing up a two-day job in the residential neighborhood at the time of the accident, according to a Fox 9, KMSP-TV report.
A Star Tribune Media Company report said the accident happened when another employee was working on the clogged machine.
A Minneapolis Star Tribune report suggested that a co-worker raised the chipper’s disk cover with the disk in motion, the cover made contact with the rotating disk and the cover was then violently propelled, striking the victim in the back of the head.
Utility worker hurt trimming
A utility crew worker was slightly injured while clearing trees May 18, 2018, in Newtown, Connecticut.
The worker was struck in the head by a branch, apparently while doing line-clearance work in the aftermath of storm damage, according to a Newtown Bee report.
Climber killed
A tree company worker died while on the job May 19, 2018, at a Stanford University housing complex in Palo Alto, California.
Jesus Silva Romero, 36, of San Jose, a crew foreman, had been climbing and cutting limbs in a tree with a chain saw prior to the accident. Romero was found lying on the ground next to a tree that was roughly 30 feet tall. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Palo Alto Weekly report.
Man attacks co-worker with pitchfork
A worker for a tree service company was arrested May 21, 2018, in Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania, and charged with assaulting his co-worker with a pitchfork.
Jonathan Ortiz-Aparicio, of Norristown, Pa., allegedly struck the victim in the back of the head with a pitchfork after they got into an argument while on the job working for a tree service, then fled on foot. The victim was treated for his injuries at the scene and transported to an area hospital.
Ortiz-Aparicio, who had taken off his yellow work shirt to avoid detection, was spotted by police about 20 minutes later and was taken into custody and charged with aggravated and simple assault, according to a report in The Mercury.
Climber electrocuted
A man was electrocuted when he clipped a power line while trimming a tree along Route 42 in Dayton, Virginia, May 25, 2018.
Cody Wesley Keith, 29, of Mount Jackson, Va., had been working for an independent tree-removal service when he’s believed to have made contact with a power line running by the tree he was working on. He was found unconscious in the tree with severe injuries.
Firefighters worked with crews from Dominion Power to remove Keith from the tree, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WHSV-TV3 report.
Homeowner killed while trimming tree from ladder
A homeowner died of a broken neck suffered while trimming a tree from a ladder May 28, 2018, in Plantation, Florida.
Jerry Fadgen, 72, a member of the Plantation city council, was pronounced dead at the scene after falling from the ladder while trimming a tree at his home, according to an NBC 6 South Florida report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed May 29, 2018, when a limb fell on him in Plantation, Florida. At least two other workers were present at the time of the accident, but no further information was available, according to an NBC 6 South Florida report.
Man dies after pinned by tree
A man died after being pinned under a fallen tree May 29, 2018, in Dunlap, Tennessee.
Don “DJ” Carlos Harmon, Jr., 45, of Dunlap, was preparing to cut down a tree that was leaning on two other trees. The leaning tree apparently had fallen after heavy rains the previous night. While being cut, the tree buckled, knocked Harmon down and then fell on top of him.
People at the house immediately performed CPR until first responders arrived. Harmon was rushed to a hospital but never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead a short time after arrival, according to a WTVC News Channel 9 report.
Worker hurt in fall from aerial lift
A highway worker in Schenectady County, New York, suffered minor injuries May 29, 2018, when he fell out of the bucket of an aerial-lift truck.
The victim, part of a crew apparently doing tree work, was taken from the scene in an ambulance, according to a report in The Daily Gazette.
June 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man hurt in fall from ladder
A man was transported to a hospital by medical helicopter June 3, 2018, after he fell from a ladder while working on a tree at a residence south of the town of Kennard, in Washington County, Nebraska.
The 60-year-old man was alert, conscious and breathing when rescue crews arrived. He had been cutting tree branches and fell about 15 feet. It appeared the man had a broken arm, according to a report in The Pilot-Tribune.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A man was injured June 4, 2018, in Newark, Delaware, when he fell while trimming a tree at a home. It was unclear if the victim was working with a tree service or if he was the homeowner.
The patient was transported to the Christiana Hospital’s trauma center suffering from serious injuries, according to a Delaware News report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree service employee died after a tree fell and struck him June 4, 2018, in Warrington Township, Pennsylvania.
Jason Covert-Kohler, 35, of Dover, was working with a crew of other employees of a local tree service when the tree struck him. He was taken to WellSpan York Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of death was blunt-force head and neck trauma, according to a WHTM/ABC27 report.
Worker pinned under fallen tree
A man sustained a serious head injury June 5, 2018, in Williamston, North Carolina, when he was pinned underneath a fallen tree.
Workers for a billboard company were trying to cut down trees and other debris to clear a path toward a billboard when one of the trees fell onto one of the workers, pinning the man and trapping him partially under water. Another worker who was nearby was able to get to the man almost immediately and removed the tree from on top of him.
Williamston Fire Rescue EMS was called in to help clear a path so the injured man could be removed on a stretcher from the heavily wooded area.
The man was alert and conscious when he was taken from the scene and flown to Vidant Medical Center by helicopter, according to a WITN news report.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A homeowner died June 5, 2018, in Saugerties, New York, after a 5-inch tree limb cut down by a power company contractor fell on the man’s head.
Myles Putman, 60, of Saugerties was at home and had come out of the house to see how the trimming crew was doing when the branch fell on him. Emergency crews worked to save Putman at the scene and then transferred him to Albany Medical Center where he died.
A spokesperson for the power company said the company’s preliminary investigation showed that the contractor followed all safety protocols, according to a Times Herald-Record report.
Operator unhurt when crane hits home
Workers and residents escaped injury June 5, 2018, when a crane working with a tree company tipped over backward, sending its boom crashing through a home on Doty Island in Menasha, Wisconsin.
The crane boom not only went through the garage, but it stretched the length of the backyard, hitting the boathouse with a boat and jet ski parked underneath.
According to Stephanie Jones, the homeowner, a crew had been working all day to remove two large cottonwood trees when the accident happened around 5 p.m. A witness said she talked with the crane operator, who told her he thought he was going to fly through the crane’s windshield. But no injuries were reported, according to a WBAY-TV ABC Channel 2 report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed June 9, 2018, in Pasco County, Florida, while helping another adult trim a tree.
The man, 47, from Pasco County, was struck by a large tree branch. Pasco County Fire Rescue initiated CPR, but the victim was pronounced dead on scene, according to a Spectrum Bay News 9 report.
Climber dies after being pinned by limb
A climber died June 10, 2018, after he was struck and pinned by a branch while trimming a tree in Annapolis, Maryland.
It took an Anne Arundel County Fire special operations unit about an hour to remove the deceased man, who was still in his harness 8 feet up in the tree, according to a WTOP news report.
Worker electrocuted when tree hits lines
A tree worker was electrocuted and died after a tree he’d cut fell onto power lines June 11, 2018, in Philipsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania. Police said Adam Kanouff, 40, of Curwensville, Pa., was working for line-clearance contractor when the incident occurred. He was pronounced dead at the scene and from electrocution, according to a WJAC Channel 6 report.
Climber dies after falling 30 feet
A contract climber died June 11, 2018, in Medway, Massachusetts, after falling from a tree.
Lewis P. Umbenhower III, 38, of Athol, Mass., was cutting a portion of a tree when he fell approximately 30 feet. Emergency medical aid was administered by first responders from Medway and he was transported to Milford Regional Medical Center, where he died as a result of his injuries, according to a Milford Daily News and WCVB channel 5 report.
Umbenhower’s mother said he was an independent contractor who’d worked as an arborist for various companies more than 20 years, according to a WCVB Channel 5 report.
Lift operator electrocuted
An aerial lift operator died June 15, 2018, in Springfield, Florida, near Panama City, after coming into contact with a power line while trimming trees.
The man, only identified as being about 35 years old, was in a lift bucket when he came into contact with the active power lines.
One neighbor said she was in her living room when a distressed woman she believed to be the girlfriend or spouse of the victim ran past her window toward a truck that had cut limbs in it. When the woman ran back past the window, the witness said she stepped outside her home and saw the man’s body dangling from the lift bucket.
Gulf Power crews responded and turned power off to the affected lines, allowing first responders to recover the man’s body from the raised lift. The man was pronounced dead on scene, according to a Panama City News Herald report.
Climber injured when pinned by limb
A climber was in critical condition after he was pinned by a branch June 16, 2018, while working high up in a tree in Shoreline, Washington.
The 72-year-old man was rescued by Shoreline fire officials and taken to Harborview hospital for treatment of his serious injuries. He was alert at the time of rescue.
The victim was about 40 feet up the tree when he became pinned by the tree limb. Officials said he was wearing the “appropriate gear” for the work he was doing, according to a KIRO 7 News report.
Climber dies in 50-foot fall
A climber working alongside a crane removing branches from a tree June 28, 2018, in Rowley, Massachusetts, died after somehow becoming unclipped and falling 50 feet to the ground. Initial reports attributed the fall to harness failure.
David Bova, 34, of Salem, New Hampshire, was working on a crew from an Essex, Mass., tree service. Bova was in a harness in a tree preparing to remove a branch when the harness snapped. He was taken to Anna Jacques Hospital in Newburyport, Mass., where he was pronounced dead, according to a WCVB Channel 5 report.
July 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Tree worker dies in fall
A man working with a tree service fell to his death July 2, 2018, in Savannah, Georgia. After falling, John Gallovitch, 39, was transported by emergency responders to a nearby hospital where he later died, according to a WSAV Nexstar Broadcasting report.
Worker dies of heart attack on the job
The founder of a tree care company died July 2, 2018, in Brenham, Texas, after falling off a roof while on the job.
Dr. Charles Heller, founder of Brenham Trees, sold the company in 2015 but still worked with the company. An autopsy determined he died of a heart attack, but it wasn’t clear whether the heart attack was the cause or a result of the fall, according to the information reported directly to TCIA staff.
Worker dies after cut with chain saw
A man trimming trees July 5, 2018, in Thornton, Colorado, died after being injured by a chain saw while working in a tree.
A tree service had been at the property most of the day. When emergency responders arrived, the man was stuck in a tree just behind a home with injuries to his arm and midsection that were described as severe. People could hear the injured tree trimmer from down the street yelling out in pain.
A medical helicopter was used to get the injured man to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, where he later died, according to a Fox 31 news report.
Worker struck and killed by towed equipment
A woman working with a tree crew was killed July 9, 2018, in Belton, Missouri, apparently when she was struck by a piece of towed equipment.
The woman was working with a wood chipper when she apparently was struck by either the chipper or trailer that was being moved by another worker.
According to the published report, the driver of a vehicle towing the trailer holding the chipper did not see the woman as he was readjusting the trailer. The woman was struck and sustained severe head injuries.
The woman was rushed to an area hospital after the incident, but ultimately died as a result of her injuries, according to the KMBC 9 News report.
Worker injured in fall from lift
An operator was seriously injured when he fell 40 feet from an aerial-lift bucket while working on a tree July 9, 2018, in Aberdeen, New Jersey. The 37-year-old man was working for a tree service company at the time of the accident.
The victim was unconscious but breathing when he was rushed by medivac helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center in New Brunswick, where he was listed in critical condition, according to a patch.com/new-jersey/matawan-aberdeen report.
Climber rescued from palm
Firefighters rescued a tree worker trapped in a palm by collapsed fronds July 9, 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The trimmer was stuck about 20 feet up the tree and was brought down uninjured using a fire ladder, according to a Las Vegas Sun report.
Man killed, father hurt when hit by lightning while clearing brush
Consecutive bolts of lightning during a South Florida thunderstorm may have been responsible for killing a 39-year-old man and critically injuring his father July 10, 2018, in Lake Worth, Florida.
Lightning struck an Australian pine tree as Antonio Miranda and his 71-year-old father, Enrique Miranda, were cutting branches with a machete and standing near the tree’s base when three consecutive bolts of lightning struck. The electricity knocked them off their feet.
Enrique Miranda managed to call 911, and both men were taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, where Antonio Miranda was pronounced dead, according to a WPLG Local10.com report.
Man killed by felled tree
One of two men using a tractor to fell a tree July 14, 2018, north of Brainerd, Minnesota, was killed when the tree fell on him.
Graham Merry, 31, of Orono, Minn., and another man on a tractor were cutting the tree down when it fell. The sheriff’s office says Merry, who worked for a real estate firm and as a part-time dentist, attempted to run out of the way but was crushed by the tree.
The man on the tractor cut the tree into sections to free Merry, but Merry was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a bringmethenews.com report.
Worker hurt chasing runaway truck
A tree service employee was injured July 17, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while trying to stop a runaway truck.
Workers from a local tree service had ground a tree stump and had loaded the stump grinder onto a trailer attached to a 1999 white Ford F-150 pickup truck. The F-150 was parked on the roadway facing downhill.
While loading the grinder, the truck came out of gear and started traveling down the roadway. Realizing the truck was starting to move, one of the workers attempted to enter the truck and stop it and that worker was injured during the attempt.
The truck continued down the hill and struck a Chattanooga police car, which was parked on the roadway, unoccupied and not in service. The truck pushed the police car down the hill into a yard and into the front porch of a residence. The residence and both vehicles sustained damage.
The injured worker was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries, according to a report on Chattanoogan.com
Worker killed by cut tree
A tree worker was killed near Healdsburg, California, July 19, 2018, after a tree he was cutting down with a chain saw unexpectedly snapped and fell on him.
The victim, Luis Garcia, 48, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was the sole owner of Ponce Tree Removal Service, a private tree-
cutting company.
Two employees ran to help Garcia after he was struck by the tree. They administered CPR but could not revive him, according to a report in The Press Democrat.
Bucket operator stung by bees
A municipal worker operating an aerial lift was seriously injured after he was reportedly stung by hundreds of bees while cutting a tree July 19, 2018, in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The worker was up in the bucket of the lift when the bees attacked. Good Samaritans in the area helped the man out of the bucket and called 911.
The man was hospitalized, according to a WMUR and patch.com/new-hampshire/bedford-nh report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree service worker died after part of a tree fell on him July 19, 2018, at a work site in Guilford, Connecticut.
Guilford Fire/Rescue found an injured 46-year-old man who was working for a private tree service; they rushed him to Yale-New Haven Hospital, but the man died of his injuries, according to reports by The Hartford Courant and FOX61.
Climber dies after being pinned
A tree worker died of injuries he suffered when he was trapped in a large tree July 21, 2018, in Evanston, Illinois.
The climber was tied in when a large section of tree snapped off above him and fell. The branches of that section hit the ground and the trunk of the broken stem fell against the climber, pinning him 30 feet or more up, between tree trunk and broken section.
It took nearly 20 minutes for rescue personnel to get the victim out of the tree.
The branches and ropes were cutting off the victim’s air supply, and he wasn’t breathing by the time firefighters were able to get him out of the tree.
They began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and transported him to Evanston Hospital, where he died, according to an evanstonnow.com report and reports directly to TCIA staff.
The victim worked for a tree care company but was doing a side job for another company at the time of the accident.
Woman killed by cut tree
A woman was killed July 21, 2018, when a tree fell on her during a commercial tree-cutting operation in Lowgap, North Carolina.
Chrystal Hodges, of Lumber Plant Road in Lowgap, and her husband, both professional tree-removal workers, were cutting a tree when it fell the wrong way, killing her, according to a Mt. Airy News report.
Worker killed in struck-by
A worker was killed by a falling limb while cutting a tree July 26, 2018, in Pinnacle, North Carolina.
Lefty Michael Ogle, 60, of Cana, Virginia, was killed when he was hit in the head by the limb. Ogle was transported by Air Care to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he died later that evening.
According to the victim’s sister, Ogle was on the ground and his partner was in a bucket. Ogle had moved from the safe zone. His partner yelled a warning, but they were both wearing earplugs. Ogle had his hard hat on, but it was not enough to protect him from the impact, according to a Mt. Airy News report.
Municipal worker killed felling tree
A public works employee was killed July 26, 2018, while cutting down a tree in Saddle River, New Jersey.
Thomas Epper, 48, of Hackensack, N.J., a heavy equipment operator for the DPW, was removing a tree that had partially fallen into the Saddle River. As he was cutting it, the roots or the bank of the river underneath him gave way. He fell into the river, then was struck by the tree.
He was one of five employees removing the tree when it fell. The other workers were unable to lift the tree off him.
Epper was taken to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, where he later died, according to NJ.com and WABC-TV channel 7 reports.
Worker injured in fall
A worker was injured while trimming trees July 31, 2108, in Jacksonville, Florida.
The workers were trimming trees in the backyard of a residence when one of them fell. A photo of the scene showed a ladder propped up to provide access to the roof of the home.
There was no information on the extent of the victim’s injuries, according to a WJXT News4Jax report.
August 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Worker shocked working with crane
A crew member working with a crane August 3, 2018, in Salt Lake City, Utah, was shocked when he came into contact with the crane after it became energized by overhead wires.
The man was working with a crew from a tree company on a tree removal. He was near the crane and touched it after it had become “energized,” either by touching a live wire overhead or being near it. The man became “engaged for some time,” unable to pull his hand away from the crane as he continued to be shocked, according to the KSL TV and News Radio report.
The man was in extremely critical condition after the shock, and was thought to have been moved to a hospital burn unit.
The crane was being rented to the tree service, according to the KSL TV report.
Tree trimmer dies after fall from ladder
A tree trimmer died from his injuries after he fell an estimated 20 feet from a ladder August 4, 2018, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida.
Joseph English, a middle-aged man, was trimming a tree when he fell. He landed on brick pavers and was critically injured. He was transported to Memorial Hospital and died the next morning, according to a WJXT-Channel 4, WCWJ-Channel 17 report.
Operator dies after fall from bucket
A tree worker who was injured August 6, 2018, in Middletown, New York, when he fell from the bucket of a lift truck died from his injures two days later.
The 25-year man was working for a tree-service company when he fell somewhere between 30 and 40 feet.
The man initially was taken by Mobile Life Support Services ambulance to Orange Regional Medical Center in the Town of Wallkill, according to a Times Herald-Record report.
Climber rescued after pinned on spar
A climber escaped with only minor injuries after being pinned by a falling branch while suspended about 50 feet off the ground August 14, 2018, in South Knoxville, Tennessee.
The man was removing the tree piece by piece outside a residence when he tried to cut off the last branch and it buckled over, pinning his leg as he hung in a safety harness.
The Knoxville Volunteer Rescue Squad’s vertical team and Rural Metro firefighters responded.
The worker, however, was able to cut the branch loose and free himself. Rescue crews then threw the man a line, which he secured to the tree so they could lower him to the ground.
“What made it easy was the rope skills of the climber,” a Rural Metro spokesman told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “The climber knew what to do.”
He added that the man works for a professional tree-cutting service, although he was working at the site alone.
The worker was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel report.
“This is an unusual call,” the spokesperson told the Sentinel. “It could have been a lot worse.”
No injuries when crane falls on house
No one was injured when a crane operated by a tree-trimming business toppled onto some townhomes August 15, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Two wreckers were brought in to lift and remove the crane from the townhomes, three of which were damaged. Two families were displaced, according to the Chattanoogan.com report.
Operator hurt when lift truck overturns
A bucket operator was seriously injured August 22, 2018, in Sellersburg, Indiana, after the lift truck on which he was working overturned at a residence.
Louis Curry, 48, a tree-service employee, was working in the bucket of the truck about 80 feet off the ground when the wheels sank into the ground, causing the truck to overturn onto its side. The truck had been driven in on plywood and set up in a grassy area between two homes. It appeared the houses were not struck by the boom when the truck went over.
Curry was taken to University of Louisville Hospital, according to a News and Tribune report.
Operator dies after being knocked from bucket
A man operating a truck-mounted aerial lift died August 25, 2018, in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, after a portion of the large tree he cut apparently struck the bucket, tearing off the controls and a corner of the bucket and throwing the man to the ground.
The victim, Scott Larney, 49, an auto-body worker, was using the truck outside his own home at the time of the incident. He suffered a traumatic arm injury and was rushed to Westerly Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries, according to a WJAR NBC 10 News report.
Man injured cutting tree
A man was injured at a home August 26, 2018, in East Hampton, Connecticut, when a section of the tree he was cutting fell on him.
He was transported to a hospital by Life Star helicopter due to the severity of his injuries, according to a WFSB-TV-DT Channel 3 report.
Tree worker killed by runaway tree truck
A tree worker was killed on the job August 28, 2018, in Bastrop County, outside Austin, Texas, when he was run over by a driverless truck.
The man, who was in his 50s and worked for a local tree-trimming company, was trimming trees, trying to clear the right of way when a truck somehow went over the barrier, veered off the road and hit him. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The truck, which had a wood chipper on the back, didn’t roll that far before hitting the man, but picked up speed quickly, according to witnesses. They say the man was working on the side of the road when the truck hit him and pushed him to the bottom of the hill, according to a KXAN News report.
Homeowner electrocuted trimming trees
A homeowner trimming trees in his yard August 29, 2018, in Lincoln, Nebraska, was electrocuted after contacting power lines. The man was up in a tree trimming limbs when he came in contact with the lines.
Firefighters had to have the power shut off so they could get the man down. The man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Neighbors confirmed the man did live there and was not a hired worker, according to a Channel 8 KLKN-TV ABC report.
Tree worker electrocuted in tree
A tree worker was killed when he contacted a power line while trimming a tree August 29, 2018, in Columbus, Ohio.
A father and two sons, all members of a family tree business, were working on the tree or trees when one of the sons was electrocuted.
An emergency responder reported that the lines were thin and ran one above the other, and were somewhat hidden in foliage, according to a WCMH Local 4 You report.
Homeowner seriously injured trimming tree
A homeowner fell nearly 40 feet from a ladder while cutting a tree and sustained severe injuries August 31, 2018, in Ramsey, New Jersey.
The 60-year-old man was up on a ladder with a chain saw to trim branches off a tree in the backyard of his residence. When he cut a branch, the large tree limb swung around and hit the ladder beneath him, sending him falling to the ground.
The man sustained ankle injuries and displaced bones and injured his arm, but was conscious and alert when he was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center, according to the North Jersey Record report.
September 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Climber electrocuted
A bucket operator was electrocuted while trimming a tree September 3, 2018, in the village of Cornwall-On-Hudson, New York.
John Nuzzolo, 39, of Newburgh, N.Y., was subcontracted by a local tree service company to assist in removing a large tree in front of a residence. While working about 40 feet off the ground, he struck a live high-power line that was adjacent to the tree and was electrocuted.
The utility, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, was called in to shut off the power before responders were able to remove Nuzzolo from the bucket truck. He succumbed to his injuries while on site, according to Mid-Hudson News Network and other sources.
Climber killed in palm fronds
A climber died after becoming trapped in palm fronds September 6, 2018, in Hacienda Heights, near Los Angeles, California.
Simon Lemus, 49, had his teenage daughter with him on the job. She heard screams for help and found her father had become lodged deep inside a mass of dried fronds at the base of the palm’s canopy.
Lemus had been trimming trees more than half his life and worked with a local company, but on this day he was doing a side job to help out a friend.
Two responding fire personnel ascended a ladder to reach the palm fronds and Lemus, but had to work their way through the fronds. They eventually removed his body. He was pronounced dead a short time later.
Leonel Granados, another tree trimmer who had worked alongside Lemus for decades, said Lemus was experienced and had proper safety equipment, according to KTLA, a Tribune Broadcasting Station.
“I know he’s a very strong guy, so I don’t know what happened inside there,” Granados told KTLA. “It’s not the first one. He had trimmed, I think, thousands of palms.”
Climber rescued from eucalyptus tree
A man was rescued by firefighters after becoming stuck in a eucalyptus tree September 7, 2018, in midtown Tucson, Arizona.
The 56-year-old man was trimming the tree when he became stuck. A large section of the tree that had been cut struck him and caused him to slip, then pinned him face down into a fork of the main tree trunk.
Firefighters at first had trouble spotting the man, as some of the trimmings had fallen on him. Then they couldn’t reach the man with their ladder equipment, and additional equipment was called in from another Tucson fire station to safely reach him.
He was conscious and alert when rescuers reached him. Crews secured the man with a safety harness to lower him to awaiting paramedics.
The man suffered cuts to his face and limbs and told firefighters about pain in one of his hips before being taken to a hospital, according to an Arizona Daily Star report.
Operator injured when bucket truck tips
A bucket operator was in critical condition after his aerial-lift truck tipped over, dropping him and the bucket into a pond September 10, 2018, in Yakima, Washington.
Rocendo Pulido-Cuevas, 59, of Selah, Wash., was trimming trees near power lines along a road when the truck became imbalanced and tipped over, dropping the bucket end of the boom and Pulido-Cuevas into a pond. The crew was trimming trees for Pacific Power.
Pulido-Cuevas was unconscious when he was cut from his restraints in the bucket. He was taken to Virginia Mason Memorial Hospital in Yakima, according to a Yakima Herald-Republic report.
Motorist killed in crash with tree truck
A motorist died after crashing into a Department of Transportation tree-trimming truck September 15, 2018, in Westbrook, Connecticut.
Shannon Marcus Carey-Wilson, 35, of New Haven, Conn., was killed after his car veered off I-95 southbound in Westbrook and hit the DOT aerial-lift truck.
A DOT worker was temporarily stuck in the air due to the tree-bucket hydraulics being damaged. The worker was extricated from the tree bucket by fire crews and was expected to be OK, according to a WFSB-TV-DT Channel 3 report.
Mother killed by tree her son cut down
A woman living in a tent at a Bucks County, Pennsylvania, homeless camp died September 18, 2018, when her son cut down a tree that then fell on her.
The woman was lying in her tent when her son began trying to cut down a dead tree. He intended for the tree to fall away from the camp. Instead, the 50-foot-tall tree fell the opposite way, bouncing off a nearby tree on the way down and landing on his mother’s tent.
The woman died due to blunt trauma to her chest, according to a WCAU NBC 10 report.
Operator hurt when lift’s boom fails
An aerial-lift operator cutting tree limbs near a house was injured when the boom collapsed September 18, 2018, in the Oakwoods community near Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
The man, 36, fell 20 to 25 feet to the ground when the boom failed at the first joint, near the base of the boom. (It appeared from a photo that the fiberglass lower-boom insert sheared off cleanly right where it connects to steel.)
The man was still partly in the bucket and wearing a harness when emergency personnel arrived and found him on the ground and conscious.
The man’s injuries included a left femur (thigh bone) fracture. He was transported by an AirCare helicopter to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, according to a Wilkes Journal-Patriot report.
Tree worker injured by chain saw
A man injured by a chain saw and stuck in a palm tree at a mall was rescued by firefighters September 19, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Phoenix Fire Department responded to help the man out of the palm. The man had a serious arm injury from the chain saw and was transported to a local trauma center, according to an Arizona Republic report.
Tree worker dies practicing climbing
A tree worker practicing tree climbing with ropes died September 20, 2018, in Washington County, Nebraska.
Luke McCormick, 34, of Herman, Neb., was practicing rope climbing in a tree when, according to initial reports, he became tangled in his ropes. He was found by family members who reported to deputies that he hadn’t been seen for about two hours.
McCormick was suspended an estimated 30 to 50 feet in the air. Family members lowered him down to where fire and rescue personnel could free him. McCormick was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a Washington County Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise report.
Mike McCormick, Luke’s father, said he was told his son had an enlarged heart, which resulted in his death due to heart failure, according to a later Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise report. Mike McCormick didn’t disclose who gave him that information, according to the article, but said Luke was an experienced climber and always took precautions when climbing trees, including for the family’s business, McCormick Tree Service.
“He was the most safety-conscious climber that I’ve ever been around, and I’ve been around quite a few of them,” he said. “He loved what he was doing.”
Mike McCormick claimed Luke was found sitting in his harness – not tangled – but didn’t respond to his brother’s calls. That’s when both nearby Blair and Herman fire and rescue were called.
“We don’t want it to be a reflection on Luke that he somehow did something wrong and it caused his death,” Mike McCormick said.
At the time of his death, Luke was training for a rope-access course in Reno, Nev. He had been training most of the summer, his father told the Pilot-Tribune & Enterprise.
Man killed cleaning up storm damage
A man was killed by a falling tree September 21, 2018, in Brunswick County, North Carolina.
The man, 46, was reportedly trying to cut the tree, part of the debris left in the wake of Hurricane Florence, when it fell on top of him, according to a One America News Network report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed by a cut limb September 21, 2018, in Exeter, New Hampshire.
Keith Hussey, 44, of Rochester, was struck by a falling tree while working at a residence. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
He was a foreman at a local tree service for 12 years, according to a Foster’s Daily Democrat report.
Worker’s leg amputated in stump-grinder accident
A tree-service worker had his leg amputated in a stump-grinder accident September 22, 2018, in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
A tree-removal company was using a stump grinder when a rope caught the worker’s leg and pulled it into the grinder, which led to the lower portion of his leg being amputated.
A Flight For Life medical helicopter flew the man to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, which is a level-one trauma center. The man was initially in critical condition but later was reported to be in serious but stable condition, according to a Lake and McHenry County Scanner report.
Man suffers chain-saw injury to arm
A tree worker suffered a chain-saw injury to his arm September 22, 2018, in Pocasset, Massachusetts.
The injured man was taken by ambulance to a nearby ball field and then by MedFlight to Rhode Island Hospital trauma center, according to a report in The Enterprise.
Homeowner injured by cut tree
A homeowner was injured after a tree he was cutting down fell on him September 23, 2018, in Lisbon, Ohio.
Daniel C. Patton, 56, suffered injuries to his legs and arms but was conscious and coherent. An ambulance arrived to treat the man and transport him to the helicopter landing zone set up on his neighbor’s property. He was flown by helicopter to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Boardman for treatment, according to a Salem News report.
Highway worker hurt in struck-by
A Department of Transportation employee was struck by a cut limb and injured September 26, 2018, in Blacksburg, South Carolina.
The worker was reportedly cutting a tree that had fallen on a telephone pole when a limb fell on him and injured him. The injury was serious but non-life-threatening, according to a WSPA-TV report.
October 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
This first item was not reported with the September accidents printed in the November issue of TCI.
Operator dies one month after fall from bucket
James Roxby, 48, of Pittston, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, fell from a bucket truck as he trimmed trees September 18, 2018, in Nockamixon Township, Bucks County, Pa., and died of his injuries October 15 in St. Luke’s University Hospital-
Fountain Hill in Fountain Hill, Pa.
The autopsy found that Roxby died as a result of complications from the blunt-force trauma suffered in the fall, according to a report in The Morning Call.
Property owner killed by cut tree
A homeowner who had gone into the woods on his Hartford, New York, property to cut trees late on October 4, 2018, was found dead the next day, October 5, apparently after having been struck by a felled tree.
William Gallinari, 48, of Hartford, was found about 10 a.m. on October 5 by a relative, who called police. It was determined a tree had fallen on Gallinari, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Glens Falls Post-Star report.
Firefighter hurt in struck-by
A volunteer firefighter in North Callaway, Missouri, was injured October 5, 2018, when he was struck on the head by a falling branch while his team was cutting down a tree that had been struck by lightning.
Tim Hays was hospitalized with a serious head injury and underwent surgery the next day.
Three days after the incident he was responding to verbal commands, breathing on his own and continuing to make progress, according to a Jefferson City News Tribune report.
Homeowner pinned by felled tree
An 81-year-old man was struck and pinned by a tree he cut down on his property October 6, 2018, in Andover, Massachusetts. After being freed by firefighters, the man suffered cardiac arrest but was revived.
Firefighters found the victim face down with the tree pinning his left arm and leg. The victim was conscious and speaking as firefighters cut him free. He suffered cardiac arrest while inside an ambulance, which was diverted to Lawrence General Hospital, where he was revived.
The victim was stabilized and flown to a Boston hospital, according to a report from The Republican, masslivemedia.com and patch.com.
Tree worker killed in fall
A tree worker died after falling in Iredell County, North Carolina, October 8, 2018. No other information was included in the WBTV News report.
Chain saw partially severs tree trimmer’s arm
A mishap with a chain saw lacerated a tree trimmer’s arm October 9, 2018, in Soundview, New York.
After the incident, the injured man and his co-workers drove almost two miles looking for help before getting the attention of two police officers. The officers made a tourniquet while emergency services were en route.
It appeared the victim worked for a private tree-trimming company.
The man was taken to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. While the chain saw did not go through the bone, police say he did suffer some nerve damage, according to a News 12 The Bronx report.
Man shocked after contacting power lines
A man was hospitalized October 10, 2018, in Boynton Beach, Florida, after he was shocked while trimming a tree and coming into contact with power lines.
Neither the man’s name nor his condition was released, according to a Palm Beach Post report.
Two homeowners hurt by falling limb
A woman was critically injured by a falling tree branch during a snowstorm October 14, 2018, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Katherine Koci, 69, was in critical but stable condition after she was struck by the branch while trying to remove other branches from her car. Police said Koci was removing fallen branches from her car with her neighbor when the limb fell. The 63-year-old neighbor, Timothy Houlihan, suffered a broken leg.
Neighbors said both people were pinned underneath a massive tree branch, and Lincoln Fire and Rescue had to cut through it to rescue them. The falling branches caused damage to the car and the home, according to KOLN-TV and ABC Channel 8 KLKN-TV reports.
Girl, 11, critically injured by cut tree
An 11-year-old girl was struck and critically injured by a tree that was being cut down October 15, 2018, in Allendale Township, Michigan.
The girl arrived at the home with her family and ran into the front yard to greet a family friend who was using a chain saw to cut down trees. One of the trees fell as she approached, striking her in the head.
The girl was taken to a hospital in Grand Rapids where she was listed in critical condition, according to a report from The Detroit News and the Associated Press.
Firefighter killed by falling tree
A firefighter was killed by a falling tree October 18, 2018, in Panama City, Florida, while helping family members clear debris from Hurricane Michael.
Brad Price, 49, of Wewahitchka, Fla., was on his tractor when he was struck and killed, according to a report from the Associated Press and the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram.
Indiana man dies doing cleanup in Florida
A central Indiana man died October 18, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Florida, while performing tree work in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.
Jeffrey Michael Hayes, 63, of Cicero, Ind., passed away suddenly in Mexico Beach, according to his obituary, which says he was employed by a tree-service company for a number of years, according to a FOX59 WXIN-TV report.
Climber struck and killed by cut tree
A climber was killed after being struck by a limb he’d cut October 18, 2018, in Hilo, Hawaii.
The victim, a 46-year-old man, was up in a tree trimming branches when a cut portion of the tree struck him. Rescue crews found the victim suspended about 30 feet above the ground.
Crews used Chopper One to airlift and lower a Fire Rescue Specialist to the man. The specialist was able to free the victim from the cables and lower him to the ground, where medical personnel checked him and found no signs of life.
The site of the accident is undeveloped private property overgrown with vegetation and trees, according to a Hawaii 24/7 report.
Dog helps save man hurt in struck-by
A man was home recovering from his injuries after a tree he was cutting fell on his head October 19, 2018, in Greenfield, New Hampshire. Sheldon Pennoyer said his dog, Rusty, deserves some of the credit for saving his life.
Pennoyer, 60, an architect, suffered a concussion, large cuts to his head and other injuries while clearing a trail for a mountain-bike event being planned for high school students in the spring. He had grabbed a chain saw and headed into the woods with Rusty, a recently acquired Australian shepherd, tagging along.
Pennoyer was a little unclear as to what exactly happened, but thinks he was hit on the head by the top of a birch he was cutting. He knows he was hit in the head with something and was laid out. “I was in the woods a long time,” he said.
While he struggled, Rusty stayed by his side, watching over him.
Pennoyer had his cell phone and was able to contact his family, but could not give a precise location. Police started searching for him in the woods, heading out in the direction he and Rusty had been seen walking toward that morning. When a police officer began getting close, Rusty started barking, alerting the officer to his location.
Rusty tagged along with family after Pennoyer was taken out of the woods and to a landing site in Peterborough for the D-HART medical helicopter. After saying goodbye to his family and Rusty, Pennoyer was flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, for treatment, according to a Union Leader report.
Operator dies in 60-foot fall from bucket
An operator died October 19, 2018, in Kansas City, Kansas, after falling about 60 feet from a broken boom bucket. The bucket operator initially was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, but died a short time later.
Mikey Reynolds from Lexington, Kan., fell out when the boom bucket broke and tilted sideways. A witness told police Reynolds was trying to trim a branch that looked like it was going to hit or fall on a home. Police believe the man was trying to use the boom to move the tree limb itself, according to a FOX 4 report.
Man electrocuted when saw touches power line
A man trimming a tree in Cocoa West, in Brevard County, Florida, was electrocuted October 26, 2018, when his chain saw touched a live power line. The man was on a lift and trying to cut a branch when the saw connected with the electrical line.
A medical examiner arrived on scene shortly afterward, according to a Spectrum News 13 report.
Tree worker injured in fall
A tree worker was injured when he fell from the bucket of a tree service’s aerial lift October 29, 2018, in Westport, Connecticut. The worker fell from the bucket onto the roof of his truck and sustained injuries. He was transported to Norwalk Hospital, according to a News 8 WTNH/WCTX report.
November 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Tree worker hurt in mudslide
A worker for a local tree service was injured November 6, 2018, in Bell County, Kentucky, when a minor mudslide caused a tree or trees to move and strike him.
The Bell County Rescue Squad used ropes and a Stokes basket to remove the injured worker from the scene. The victim was then flown to a hospital, according to a WYMT News report.
Ground worker shocked by indirect contact
A man working with a tree-service company was hospitalized November 8, 2018, in Swansea, Illinois, after being shocked when a crane or log loader came into contact with electrical lines.
The worker was steadying a log while standing on the ground when the equipment moving the log came into contact with the electrical lines and he was shocked. The victim appeared to be in stable condition when he was taken to a hospital, according to a Belleville News-Democrat report.
Man impales himself on chain saw
A 19-year-old man was hospitalized November 8, 2018, in Lockport, Illinois, after impaling himself on a chain saw while cutting limbs of a tree.
The man was using a chain saw to trim trees near a cemetery when the chain saw became impaled in his chest, according to a fire department report. The man was taken to Silver Cross Hospital. His condition was not known, according to a Homerglen-Lockport patch.com report.
Relayed to TCIA by Daniel Reposh, CTSP and a Certified Arborist in Lockport, Ill.
One killed, one hurt when lift collapses
One man was killed and a second man was injured November 13, 2018, in Burley, in the Jackson area of Cassia County, Idaho, when the aerial-lift bucket they were in failed, dropping the men 60 feet to the ground.
Corbin Bowers, 28, of Burley, was killed on impact and Emmett Koyle, 26, also of Burley, was injured. Koyle was taken to Portneuf Medical Center and was listed in critical condition.
Bowers and Koyle were together in the bucket about 60 feet above the ground and had tied off a branch to the bucket, according to an investigating officer. When they cut the branch, it pulled the arm and bucket down to the ground, according to a Times-News report.
Landscaper loses leg in chipper
A man working with a landscaping crew lost his leg in a wood chipper November 16, 2018, in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, but owes his life to his fast-acting co-workers.
James Blaney, along with several co-workers, was operating a wood chipper. They were feeding the large machine trees they’d cut down nearby.
A pine tree, which already had its branches shaved down, began to jam in the wood chipper with another tree, one that had a wide system of branches.
Blaney, who was positioned on the ground to the side of the machine, took one step forward to push the two trees further into the grinder and became entangled by a branch at his flank.
“I could feel the branch tightening around my knee caps,” he told the Cape Cod Times.
Realizing he was just seconds away from serious harm, Blaney said he had to jump off the ground onto the feed table of the wood chipper to avoid “going in head-first.”
But he was unable to free himself, and his left leg went into the shredder.
“Once my foot went in, I knew what was going to happen,” he said.
Within seconds, Kevin McCarty, 30, of Concord, Mass., and Nicholas Callahan, 29, of Dennis Port, Mass., put the machine in reverse and called for help. Callahan then used his belt as a tourniquet around Blaney’s injured leg, elevating it and applying pressure until emergency personnel arrived.
Blaney remained alert and coherent while he was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery to stop the profuse bleeding and close up the wounds on his leg and wounds to his abdomen. Blaney lost the majority of his left leg as a result of his injuries.
Blaney maintains that he followed safety protocols during the moments leading up to the incident. He said his co-workers saved his life, according to the Cape Cod Times report.
Tree worker rescued from palm fronds
A man was injured November 19, 2018, in Phoenix, Arizona, after he became trapped in collapsed palm fronds while trimming a palm.
The man was 35 feet up in the palm trimming the fronds when the skirt of dead palms collapsed and pinned him against the tree. Rescue crews reached the man using ladders and a bucket lift, then cut away the palm’s foliage to free him. The man suffered a few bee stings, but he did not have any adverse effects from those stings. He was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to an Arizona Republic report.
Man rescued from a tree
Firefighters rescued a man suffering from a medical condition while cutting the limbs of a tree November 24, 2018, in Manchester, Connecticut.
The man was rescued from a tree. No information was provided on the medical condition of the man, but he was expected to be OK, according to the News 8 WTNH report.
Man dies cutting storm-damaged limbs
A man died November 29, 2018, in Louisville, Kentucky, while cutting down tree branches damaged in an ice storm earlier in November.
Richard Freeh, 46, of Louisville, was helping out at a family member’s home when he either fell from 10 to 12 feet or was knocked off a ladder by a large branch. The coroner said the branch landed on his chest, and that Freeh died of multiple blunt-force injuries, according to a WDRB report.
December 2018 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2019 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
This first incident was not reported with the November 2018 Accident Briefs last month.
Tree worker struck and killed on highway
A tree-service owner was struck and killed November 6, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, after getting a flat tire on his trailer on a local highway.
Richard B. Lamneck, 46, of Ooltewah, Tenn., near Chattanooga, and owner of Dr. Rick’s Tree Service, was standing by his Ford F-250 pickup when he and the trailer were struck by a Ford F-150 going in the same direction.
Mr. Lamneck was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report on Chattanoogan.com.
Man hurt by rolling log
A man was injured December 4, 2018, in Ferguson, in western Wilkes County, North Carolina, while cutting up a tree for firewood.
The 70-year-old man was using a chain saw on a felled tree in a wooded area when he tripped, tumbled down a slope and was struck in the chest and head by a large section of the cut tree that also had rolled down the slope. The man had blunt-trauma injuries but was conscious and alert at the scene. The victim’s wife reported the accident.
The victim was taken to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. No details on his condition were immediately available, but emergency personnel said his injuries didn’t appear to be life threatening, according to a Wilkes Journal-Patriot report.
Injured climber rescued from tree
A climber working in a large tree in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, December 5, 2018, needed to be rescued after getting injured. Firefighters said the worker had been struck by a branch which injured his chest and abdomen. The branch also pinned his climbing line, trapping him in place.
Cuyahoga County’s East Tech Rescue Team assisted the Cleveland Heights Fire Department in getting the climber down. Shaker Heights Fire Department also assisted, with the use of their aerial-work platform, in removing the injured worker.
The arborist was conscious and alert throughout the incident, according to a WOIO Cleveland CBS 19 News report.
ROW worker killed by falling tree
A tree worker performing line clearance December 5, 2018, in Halifax County, Virginia, was killed when a tree fell on him.
Jeremiah Morrison, 29, of Altavista, Va., was among a three-man crew working on clearing a power-line right of way when he was killed.
The crew was working in a wooded area off a small, one-lane dirt road. One of the workers on the crew called Halifax County 911, according to a report in The Gazette-Virginian.
Man killed felling tree
Thomas Moszynski, 38, of Easthampton, Massachusetts, died December 11, 2018, after being injured while cutting down a tree in Amherst, Mass., according to a WHDH TV 7News report and a report from The Springfield Republican.
Moszynski was struck by a part of the tree, according to a Daily Hampshire Gazette report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man was killed December 16, 2018, when a tree fell on him while he was cutting trees on his property in Jackson Township, Indiana.
The 50-year-old was cutting trees near his home when one of the trees fell toward him, trapping him underneath.
Members of his family and first responders tried to cut back the tree and safely remove him from beneath it, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.
Man injured cutting down tree
A 55-year-old man was hospitalized with multiple broken bones December 16, 2018, after being struck by a branch while trying to cut down a large tree in Bainbridge Township, Michigan.
The man was tethered to the tree with a harness, which emergency crews had to remove. He appeared to have suffered two broken femur bones and a broken arm. He was air-lifted to Bronson Hospital. His injuries did not appear to be life threatening, according to a FOX 17 WXMI report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed December 17, 2018, while helping family members cut down a tree in Dickenson County, Virginia.
Aaron Hackney, 25, of Dickenson County, had been assisting other family members in cutting down a tree. When the tree started to fall, Hackney ran in the direction the tree was falling, and it fell on him, according to a Bristol Herald Courier report.
Driver injured when loader-truck rolls
The driver of a tree-service log truck was injured December 19, 2018, apparently when the load he was hauling shifted, causing the truck to roll onto its side in Greenville, Ohio.
The driver attempted to make a left-hand turn off a highway when the logs and tree trimmings in the truck shifted, causing the vehicle to roll onto its side and partially spill the contents of its load.
The driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle, was treated on the scene by Greenville Township Rescue and transported to Wayne HealthCare for minor injuries, according to a report in The Daily Advocate.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring throughout 2017
December 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Landscaper killed by cut tree
A tree fell on a landscaper who was working on it December 4, 2017, in Texarkana, in southwest Arkansas, fatally injuring him.
The victim, Pedro Sora, 41, was an employee for a local landscape company, according to an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette report.
Homeowner killed working on tree from ladder
A homeowner was found dead December 4, 2017, in Pasadena, California, apparently after something went wrong while he was using a chain saw from a ladder to trim a large tree branch. But the exact circumstances and official cause of death were under investigation.
Robert Edwin Milliken, 59, was found and pronounced dead shortly before 10 a.m. outside his home. It was not clear how long the accident had occurred before he was found.
A relative became concerned after not hearing from Milliken for a few days and had called Pasadena police December 4. Officers found Milliken dead.
It appeared Milliken was up on a ladder using a chain saw when he fell. He had a severed arm and a serious cut to his neck.
An autopsy had been completed, but a cause of death was deferred pending the results of additional forensic tests. Police detectives were investigating the death as an accident, according to a Pasadena Star-News and San Gabriel Valley Tribune report.
Homeowner hurt by cut tree
A man suffered serious lower body injuries after a tree he was cutting in his backyard fell on him December 5, 2017, in Wallingford, Connecticut. He was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, according to a Record-Journal report.
Tree trimmer shocked by power line
A tree trimmer was in critical condition after he was shocked by a power line December 11, 2017, in Clearwater, Florida.
Ernest Harlen, 38, of Largo, was on a ladder cutting trees with a pole saw in the backyard of a home when he was shocked. He was taken to Tampa General Hospital, according to a Tampa Bay Times report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man died after he was injured while helping cut down a tree December 13, 2017, in Iowa County, Wisconsin.
Steven J. Segebrecht, 56, of Barneveld, Wisc., was working with other people felling a tree that was tangled in an adjacent tree. A branch from that adjacent tree broke off and struck him. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Iowa County Coroner’s Office, according to an NBC 15 report.
Worker electrocuted after power line hits truck
A person was killed in Pinecrest, Florida, near Miami, December 14, 2017, after a tree limb fell onto a power line, which then hit what was reported as a landscaping truck.
Workers jumped off of the truck when the incident occurred, but one worker accidentally touched the truck and, based on a preliminary investigation, was electrocuted, according to an NBC 6 South Florida report.
Homeowner killed felling tree
A man was killed December 16, 2017, while felling a tree outside his home in the dark in East Wheatfield Township, in Indiana County, Pennsylvania.
Someone at the man’s home heard the chain saw stop operating, then went out to check on him and called 911 for help. The victim was trapped under the tree about 75 to 80 yards away from his home.
The tree, which was about 12 inches diameter and 30 to 40 feet tall, had fallen across the victim’s shoulders and pinned him to the ground, where he died, according to the Indiana Gazette and pennlive.com report.
Bucket operator seriously injured in 50-foot fall
A man underwent multiple surgeries the week of December 20, 2017, after taking a nearly 50-foot fall from an aerial-lift bucket while trimming trees in Neola, Iowa.
Alvin Ring, who owns a tree-trimming business in Neola, fell after a limb swung back, knocking him out of the bucket. He broke ribs, an elbow, his hip and a leg, according to the WOWT NBC Omaha report. The exact date of the incident was not reported.
Operator dies in fall from lift
A worker trimming trees in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, died December 23, 2017, when he was thrown from the bucket of an aerial-lift truck after an apparent mechanical failure.
Michael Shiry, 34, of Avonmore, Westmoreland County, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene. Four workers were trimming trees when the lift on the tree-service truck malfunctioned, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
Shiry was using a chain saw about 60 feet up when the arm in the boom truck malfunctioned and fell toward the ground, according to a KDKA-TV report. Shiry was thrown from the bucket by the force of the collapse and was killed instantly when he landed near the truck.
It was raining with high winds at the time. Shiry was the son of the owner of Emery Tree Service, who was there when the accident happened, according to the KDKA report.
Initially reported to TCI Magazine by Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Tree-service worker killed in crash
A tree-service employee died December 26, 2017, after crashing a company-owned Chevrolet Silverado into a house in Hampton, Connecticut.
Patrick C. Dunn, 32, of New London, Conn., was driving east on state Route 6 when he drove off the right shoulder and into the house just after 12:30 p.m. First responders initially requested a Life Star helicopter, but Dunn died on scene from his injuries.
The home sustained a large hole in its foundation. There were no passengers in the truck, according to a report in The Day.
Man killed working on tree from ladder
A man was killed December 26, 2017, in Three Rivers, Michigan, while cutting a tree limb while working from a ladder.
Roger Rathburn, 55, a local school superintendent and one of about 20 co-owners of a local golf course, was working on a tree at the Sauganash Country Club in Three Rivers at the time of the incident.
He was working alone, trimming and cutting down limbs of trees about 18 feet off the ground, when it appears he either fell off the ladder or a large limb swung back and knocked him off the ladder and onto the ground. Family members found his body around 6:25 p.m. on an asphalt cart path near the trunk of the tree. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a Three Rivers Commercial-News report.
Operator escapes injury when lift tips
A bucket operator escaped injury when the aerial lift he was in tipped over December 27, 2017, in Tallahassee, Florida.
A crew member was in the bucket trimming trees when the truck began to tip over. The incident blocked traffic and power was knocked out when the arm of the lift fell on power lines, but the worker was reportedly not injured, according to a WCTV Eyewitness News report.
November 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2018 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Before we get to this month’s briefs, here are a few older, unreported incidents we came across.
Tree worker killed working on skid steer
A tree worker was killed January 23, 2015, in Massachusetts when he was crushed between the bucket and body of a compact skid steer.
A 38-year-old foreman for a tree service company was standing in front of a skid steer under the raised lift arm and bucket while performing repair work on the loader’s high-pressure hydraulic lines. Once the hydraulic line was removed, the lift arm and bucket came down, crushing the victim against the loader’s frame. He died at the scene, according to a report from the Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program.
Contributing factors identified in the investigation include working under an unsupported raised load, the lift-arm support device not being engaged to prevent the lift arm from lowering, and a lack of a safety and health program and lockout/tagout procedures. For the full report, go to https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/pdfs/15ma004.pdf.
Man shocked touching downed wire
A man lost part of his arm after he was shocked June 16, 2017, in Portsmouth, Virginia, while moving a branch that was in contact with a downed power line. Antonio Myrick, 20, of Portsmouth, had to have his left arm amputated just below the elbow and was hospitalized for two weeks.
Apparently, a branch broke from a pecan tree and landed on a live power line. The line fell to the ground and on top of a vehicle that belonged to Myrick’s friend. Myrick went to clear what he thought was debris from the top of the vehicle. It was raining at the time. The power line shocked Myrick when he touched it, and he had to be separated from the wire by a neighbor with a rake.
In early December 2017, Myrick filed suit against Dominion Energy, alleging that Dominion and its line-clearance contractor did not prune the nearby trees properly and allowed vegetation to overhang its power lines. He’s seeking $25 million in damages, according to a report in The Virginian-Pilot.
Arborist loses hand in wood splitter
An arborist lost his hand in a wood-splitting accident September 22, 2017, in Middlefield, Connecticut.
Allan Poole, 66, owner of Allan’s Tree Service, was using a wood processor that cuts and splits the wood into several pieces and drops them onto a conveyer belt for loading a truck or trailer. Poole had used the machine for five years without an incident. The machine was idle when he reached in to clear a piece of bark. When he did so, his leg hit the button to start the machine’s auto-split cycle and his hand was severed.
“In three or four seconds, my hand was cut in half and also cut off at the wrist, and my fingers were cut off from my hand,” Poole told The Middletown Press.
“At first I couldn’t believe it happened,” he said, so he reached in with his right hand to grab what he thought was his cleanly severed hand. It took a while for him to realize the gravity of his injury.
“I was in shock, but then I realized my hand wasn’t in one piece,” he said. “I held the hand against my chest, and I had to walk through a path through the woods and over a brook to get back to my house.”
That’s when he saw his wife of more than 40 years working in the garden. Immediately, she took his belt and cinched it around his wrist to stop the blood flow.
“I was in and out consciousness,” Poole said. “The pain was really awful.”
He was taken to the hospital and learned that his hand could not be saved, according to a report in The Middletown Press.
Bucket operator dies after being shocked
A tree care worker shocked October 25, 2017, in Dodge City, Kansas, while trimming trees from an aerial lift bucket, died from his injuries November 4.
Riley Gibson, 34, of Dodge City, owned a tree service business for 14 years. He was in a bucket lift trimming trees when his back came into contact with an 8,000-volt power line. This rendered him unconscious and on fire, according to a report from his wife on a Facebook page.
His brother was working with him and quickly ran to get the lift down and away from the power line. The brother ran to grab the fire extinguisher and, as he was returning, Riley was convulsing, then fell out of the lift from a height of approximately 10 feet and landed on his head on concrete.
His went to one hospital by ambulance and was then airlifted to an emergency burn unit in Wichita, Kansas, where he died a little more than a week later.
November 2017 accidents
Man killed in tree-cutting accident
A man died in a struck-by incident November 1, 2017, in Rhea County, Tennessee.
The victim was cutting a tree down on a family property and there was a dead snag in the top of the tree. The dead limb or section came down and hit the man in the head, knocking him unconscious and sending him into cardiac arrest.
He was airlifted to a hospital, where he later passed away, according to a WTVC Newschannel 9 report.
Climber hurt in 40-foot fall
A climber was injured when he fell about 40 feet out of a tree November 7, 2017, in Gloucester Township, New Jersey. The victim was brought to a nearby school field from which he was airlifted for medical treatment, according to a Gloucester Township patch.com report.
Two tree workers die after being shocked by power
Two tree workers died after one of them came into contact with a power line while the pair was working from an aerial-lift platform November 14, 2017, in Akron, Ohio.
George F. Csikos, 38, of New Franklin, Ohio, was pronounced dead at the scene of the electrocution. Jessica Richmond, 46, of Barberton, Ohio, died from her injuries on November 19.
The two were working for a private contractor. An Akron homeowner hired them to trim trees. They were in a lift bucket when Csikos apparently made contact with an electrical wire. The electrocution may have thrown Richmond from the lift.
Akron Fire Department paramedics found Csikos dead in the lift. They found Richmond on the ground and took her to the hospital, according to reports from Fox8 and cleveland.com.
Video footage showed the pair was using an uninsulated rental lift.
Man killed in fall from tree
A man was killed when he fell out of a tree he was trying to cut down November 15, 2017, in Horry County, South Carolina.
Dew William Small, 39, died at the scene from injuries sustained in the fall, according to a WPDE ABC 15 News report.
Operator dies in fall from lift
A lift operator working at a home in Detroit, Michigan, on November 17, 2017, died when he fell from the bucket of his truck. The victim was flipped out of his bucket when he cut the limb, according to a WXYZ Channel 7 report.
The man, 52, died after the branch he cut struck the aerial-bucket platform he was standing in, according to a Houston Chronicle report, which added that the man was about three stories up cutting down a large tree when he was knocked to the ground.
One dead, one hurt when lift truck rolls
One tree worker died and another was seriously injured after their aerial-lift truck overturned November 17, 2017, in northern Baltimore County, Maryland.
Thomas Wayne Crawford Jr., 33, of Freeland, Md., the driver of the truck, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fire Department rescue workers, along with aid units from Carroll County, spent more than 2½ hours working to free the critically injured person from the wrecked vehicle. That patient was taken by state police helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center with life-threatening injuries.
Fuel from the truck spilled into a nearby stream, and the Maryland Department of the Environment and county hazmat units were dispatched to the scene to help mitigate its effects, according to the report in The Baltimore Sun.
Man, 82, hurt after cut tree strikes home
An 82-year-old homeowner was injured November 19, 2017, in Sagamore Hills, Ohio, when workers for a tree company cut a tree that then struck the man’s home.
The man’s family hired a property maintenance company to fell a storm-damaged tree in his backyard. The older man and his son-in-law were on the back deck of the house. When the tree fell, it slammed into the back porch, trapping the man under its limbs. The 82-year-old suffered a broken leg, two broken hips, a broken shoulder and a spinal fracture.
A police officer reported hearing the workers arguing about which one of them caused the accident, according to a WEWS ABC Action News report.
Man injured by collapsed palm fronds
A tree worker was hospitalized with serious injuries after he was rescued from under a skirt of collapsed palm fronds November 26, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. The man was in a harness about 50 feet in the air when palm fronds fell and incapacitated him.
Emergency responders used a ladder truck with a bucket to reach the victim, remove the fronds and rescue the man, who wasn’t breathing and didn’t have a pulse.
Crew members tried to resuscitate the man on the way to the hospital. Further details about his condition were not immediately available, according to a report in The Arizona Republic.
Man killed by cut tree
A man cutting trees November 26, 2017, in Brentwood, New Hampshire, was found dead after he was apparently struck by a tree he had been cutting down.
According to a subsequent investigation, the man, 35, was actively notching a tree when another he had already begun to cut was blown over by a strong gust of wind, striking him from behind, according to an NECN and necn.com report.
Homeowner hurt when knocked from ladder
A homeowner trimming a tree was injured November 27, 2017, in Rydal, Bartow County, Georgia, when he was knocked off his ladder by the limb he’d just cut, throwing him about 20 feet to the ground. The patient was transported to WellStar Kennestone Hospital for treatment, according to a Cartersville patch.com report.
Man killed helping cut tree
A 77-year-old man was killed November 29, 2017, in Eagle, Wisconsin, when he was struck by a tree he was helping cut down.
Richard Berner, 77, of Watertown, was working as a volunteer for the Old World Wisconsin historic site when he was struck by the cut oak, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report.
Man rescued after losing ladder
An elderly man trimming a tree November 30, 2017, in Mountain View, North Carolina, was rescued from about 30 feet up when the ladder he was using to access the tree fell.
The man had been trimming tree limbs with a chain saw in his yard. He had used a 30-foot-long ladder and was left stuck on a tree limb after the ladder fell, possibly due to the vibrations from the chain saw. A relative of the man made the call for help.
Firefighters used a sturdier, 35-foot-long ladder on a Mountain View fire truck to help the man return to the ground – without any injuries, according to the Wilkes Journal-Patriot report.
News item
Man fires gun in argument with tree worker
A man faces charges for firing a gun following an argument with a tree service employee October 3, 2017, in Oxford, Connecticut.
Justin Andrew Leake, 23, of Oxford, became angry with Raymond Jiminez, a worker for a tree care company. Leake left his home after an argument, while Jiminez continued his job.
After about 45 minutes, Leake returned and went into his home. He went back outside with a pistol and fired several rounds into a tree.
Leake was charged with breach of peace, reckless endangerment and illegal discharge of a firearm. Jiminez was charged with breach of peace for his involvement in the argument, according to a WFSB Eyewitness News 3 report.
News item
Climber killed one-handing chain saw in Great Britain
A
climber was killed February 15, 2017, in Bermondsey, Surrey County, England, after cutting his own neck while one-handing a chain saw.
Grigore Bulbuc, 31, from Sydenham, in Kent County, and a tree surgeon for 10 years, was trimming a large sycamore in the backyard of a residence when the incident occurred. He was about 50 feet up when he apparently made a cut very close to his body and with only one hand on the chain saw when the saw kicked back, severing his jugular vein and carotid artery. He was left dangling on a rope 50 feet in the air.
Bulbuc had been working with two other crew members cleaning up the debris on the ground.
Police and paramedics rushed to the scene, but were unable to save him. He was pronounced dead about an hour later.
“I could see Greg holding a branch in his right hand and cutting the branch with a chain saw in his other hand,” the victim’s boss told an inquest. “As I looked up, I saw the chain saw kick back and go into his shoulder and neck. It went into his neck on his left side. It was quite deep and I realized immediately he had injured himself badly,” the boss reported.
“He looked down at me and shouted ‘I’m dead, I’m dead’ and he held his neck in his right hand.”
The boss reported that he grabbed his rescue kit and climbed up to get the victim down. But it was a difficult climb and “the branches were very slippery as there was a lot of blood covering them,” he reported.
“I managed to attach myself to Greg and cut him from his harness. I was shouting at Greg to reassure him help was on its way and I was here to rescue him. It was very traumatic and very upsetting.”
His boss said he has never seen Bulbuc operate a chain saw incorrectly.
“He was my supervisor at my previous job and was a very experienced arborist. He was holding the chain saw with one hand and was not at his fullest reach so it was close to his body. Kickback can occur if you don’t use both hands. It happened instantaneously. If I saw what he was doing sooner, I would have said something and pulled him up on it.”
The jury in the inquest returned a verdict of accidental death “caused by kickback from the top-handled chain saw he was working with,” according to a November 2017 report in the News Shopper and on www.newsshopper.co.uk.
October 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Homeowner hurt in fall from ladder
A homeowner cutting a tree from a ladder in his backyard was injured after the ladder fell or was knocked down and the tree or part of it landed on him October 1, 2017, in Issaquah, Washington.
Firefighters freed the man, who was in his 70s and who had been trapped by the fallen tree or limbs, and he was taken to a hospital. The man reportedly suffered a fractured leg, according to a KOMO News report.
Wellington man killed by falling tree
A tree worker was killed October 2, 2017, when a tree he had been cutting fell on him in Anniston, Alabama.
Thomas Eugene Headrick, 62, of Wellington, Ala., was doing work for a commercial tree service when the accident happened.
Headrick had been cutting a tree that didn’t fall all the way down but got stuck in a second tree instead. When the second tree was cut, the first one twisted around and fell free, striking Headrick, according to a report in The Anniston Star.
Worker hurt by cut limb
A tree worker was hurt October 3, 2017, in Young Township, Pennsylvania, when he was pinned to the ground by a large branch that snapped from a tree he was cutting.
The first helper to reach the injured man was a medic for an ambulance service, who lifted the branch off the man so he could assess his injuries. Rescuers then shuttled the man, in his early 20s, to a nearby baseball field, where a medical helicopter flew him to UPMC-Presbyterian hospital in Pittsburgh.
The injured man was by himself at the time of the incident, but was found by a co-worker who had been nearby. It was not clear how long the man had been under the limb.
He suffered injuries to his back and head, but was conscious and talked to the emergency responders, according to a report in The Indiana Gazette.
Trimmer electrocuted
A man trimming tree limbs was electrocuted October 4, 2017, in Odessa, Texas.
John Christopher, 30, who had been contracted to trim some tree limbs at a house, was electrocuted when he or the equipment he was using contacted a power line.
Christopher was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in the Odessa American.
Notification provided by James Tuttle, president of Tree Loving Care of Wolfforth, Texas.
Climber killed in fall
A tree worker was killed October 5, 2017, when he fell nearly 80 feet while cutting limbs on a tree in Athens, Georgia.
John Curtis Conaway, 57, of Athens, was working for a tree service that had been hired to clear trees to make way for a new house. Conaway had secured himself to a tree limb with a rope, but as he was cutting, the limb came down and pulled him to the ground with it.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by the county coroner, according to a report in The Banner-Herald.
Man helping neighbor fell tree hurt in stuck-by
A man was injured October 6, 2017, in Orange County, near Orlando, Florida, when he was struck by a limb while cutting down a tree damaged during Hurricane Irma. The man, 24, was hospitalized with serious injuries after a large branch fell on him, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.
Two hurt after lift bucket falls 30 feet
Two tree-service workers were hospitalized October 10, 2017, after the bucket lift they were in collapsed and crashed to the ground on the Jackson College campus in Summit Township, Michigan.
The pair were in the bucket lift cutting down a tree when the upper boom apparently failed, dropping about 30 feet to the ground.
They were awake and alert while being taken to Henry Ford Allegiance Health, according to an mlive.com report.
Published photos seem to show the two men were in a one-person bucket on an older lift.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed while cutting a tree October 12, 2017, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
Wallace Teague Sr., 67, of Axton, Va., was struck by a tree limb and died, according to a WSLS 10 News report.
Climber killed in 80- to 100-foot fall
A tree worker died October 16, 2017, in an accident outside a home near Groveland, California.
Jason Alan Stuart, 35, of Bay Point, in Contra Costa County, Calif., was part of a crew felling trees. He had climbing gear on and was about 80 to 100 feet up a large Ponderosa pine. Other workers heard him say something and looked up and saw Stuart already halfway down the tree, falling. He hit the sidewalk just outside the residence.
Stuart was unresponsive, but he had a pulse. Fire and medic personnel transported him to meet an air ambulance, but he died before being flown for treatment.
Stuart was an experienced tree worker and climber. Before he fell Monday, he was cutting branches as he was climbing up, and he was going to cut the large tree down in sections.
Tree-removal crews have come to Calaveras County and Tuolumne County from all over the U.S., Mexico and other countries in response to the ongoing mortality crisis that has killed more than 100 million trees in the Central Sierra Nevada and elsewhere in California since 2010, and to remove trees burned in recent wildfires, according to a report in The Union Democrat.
Homeowner hurt in fall from ladder
A homeowner was injured October 18, 2017, in New Whiteland, Indiana, after falling off a 20-foot ladder while trying to cut tree branches. Firefighters took the man to the hospital, according to a WTHR Channel 13 report.
Tree worker cut with chain saw
A tree worker suffered a serious injury to his leg while cutting a tree October 18, 2017, in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Witnesses said the man, 46, was working for a tree care service cutting a tree when the chain saw he was using caught his clothing and was pulled into the upper portion of his right leg.
First responders administered first aid to stop the bleeding, including a tourniquet, and the man was flown to Providence Hospital in Rhode Island for treatment, according to a WCVB Channel 5 report.
Line-clearance worker killed on storm cleanup
A line-clearance worker was killed October 25, 2017, near Taylorsville, in Alexander County, North Carolina, while cutting a tree off power lines.
Brian Keith Wilmoth, 31, was working with utility crews at about 4 a.m. doing storm restoration work caused by tornado winds a day earlier. The lines were under tension, causing the cut tree to spring back toward him. The tree landed on him, killing him, according to reports from WSOC-TV Channel 9 and Fox8.
Initial notification given to TCIA staff by Jim Rooney, a retired line-clearance arborist from Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Operator hurt when crane topples
A crane operator was trapped for nearly an hour after a crane being used on a tree removal tipped over in a residential neighborhood October 27, 2017, in West Orange, New Jersey.
The workers were removing a tree in a backyard when the boom toppled over into a neighboring yard. A witness said there were sparks as the crane came crashing down, taking branches and power lines with it. She said that as the crane came down, she and others watching the operation made a run for it.
Firefighters worked for about 40 minutes to pull the trapped worker to safety. The operator was pulled out and put in an ambulance on a backboard. The man was conscious when he was rescued and only suffered a broken leg, according to a
WNBC-TV report.
Tractor operator struck by tree
A man in a small tractor suffered serious injuries when a tree fell on him October 27, 2017, in Gold Bar, Washington.
The man’s wife found him pinned by the tree in a Kubota tractor. She estimated he’d been trapped in the seat for an hour.
Fire crews drove up a long muddy road and used saws to cut the man free. An ambulance took him to a hospital in Everett, Wash., according to a report in The Daily Herald.
September 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber hurt using chain saw aloft
A climber working in a tree was rescued September 6, 2017, in Woodstock, Illinois, after he cut himself with a chain saw and was unable to climb down on his own.
The man was working with two other men who were doing landscaping services on the property. He climbed up about 40 feet into the tree and, while using a chain saw, injured his leg and was unable to climb back down.
The local fire district’s ladder truck was out of service for maintenance so the fire department requested assistance from the city’s Public Works Department. The water department bucket extended to 40 feet, just enough for rescuers to reach the man, who was gripping the tree while he waited to be rescued.
Though he could not bear weight on the injured leg, the man was in a harness and had spiked boots, allowing him to maintain his grip and possibly contributing to keeping him conscious, according to one of the rescuers, who added that the harness acted almost like a tourniquet, due to the pressure applied that helped to control bleeding.
The man, who never lost consciousness, was transported via helicopter to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a report in The Woodstock Independent.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed September 6, 2017, in Rome, Georgia, when he was struck on the head while helping fell a tree.
Eddie Dwayne Waters, 57, of Rockmart, Ga., and several others were attempting to cut down a tree when it got caught on another tree before falling on him.
Waters was pronounced dead at the scene from massive head trauma, according to a Coosa Valley News report.
Man cleaning up Irma debris killed by chain saw
A man was accidentally killed by a chain saw September 11, 2017, in Hillsborough County, Florida, while helping a neighbor cut tree branches during Hurricane Irma cleanup.
A branch became entangled with the chain saw. It kicked up and cut Wilfredo Hernandez’ throat.
Hillsborough County Fire Rescue responded and used a harness to lower him from the tree, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WFTS-TV/ABC Action News report.
Man cutting limbs killed in struck-by during Hurricane Irma
A 57-year-old South Carolina man was fatally injured by a falling tree limb September 11, 2017, in Abbeville County, S.C., while cutting downed limbs with a chain saw outside of his home during Hurricane Irma, according to a WCYB-TV Channel 5 report.
Tree worker dies after 10-foot fall
A tree care company employee died after a 10-foot fall from a tree September 13, 2017, in the Houston, Texas, area.
The worker was on a client’s property and free-climbed a pear tree to pick a few pears when he fell, apparently striking his head, according to a report given directly to TCIA staff. He was taken by life-flight to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries two or three days later.
Worker killed by cut tree
A man helping clean up damaged trees September 14, 2017, in Clewiston, Florida, after Hurricane Irma, died after being struck by a falling tree.
Mauro Yanes, 65, of Clewiston, responded to a client’s call for help in the aftermath of the storm. Yanes, a native of El Salvador, worked in the Clewiston area as a landscaper for more than two decades and had years of experience cutting trees, according to a Palm Beach Post report.
Man killed in fall from ladder
A man was killed September 14, 2017, in Hillsborough County, near Tampa, Florida, when he fell off a ladder while cutting a tree branch following Hurricane Irma.
Firefighters found resident John Knight, 60, on the ground. A witness told firefighters Knight was cutting a tree branch when the branch hit him and knocked him off his ladder. Knight fell 20 to 25 feet. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the WFLA-TV Channel 8 report.
Man cutting trees dies from saw cut
A man died September 18, 2017, in North Pole, south of Fairbanks, Alaska, after suffering a chain-saw injury while alone in the woods cutting trees.
Robert Grill, 48, of North Pole, was found deceased near his residence.
Troopers responded to the address for a call reporting a deceased man. The investigation at the scene determined that Grill had been in the woods cutting down trees when he “suffered a severe chain-saw cut to his neck,” troopers reported, according to an Alaska Native News report.
Operator dies in fall from bucket truck
An aerial-lift operator working for a family-owned tree services company died after falling out of the lift bucket while cutting trees September 19, 2017, in Hamburg, Iowa.
First responders attempted life-saving measures on Keith Mahlon Sorensen, 32, of Clarinda, Iowa, but were unable to revive him, according to a KMA 960 AM & 99.1 FM report.
Man dies unloading logs from truck
A tree care company employee died September 23, 2017, in Jasper County, Georgia, while unloading logs from a truck.
A large oak log rolled off the truck and struck Antonio Warren, 47, of Monticello, Ga., while he was working on his employer’s property near Lake Oconee, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Warren walked beside the truck when the log rolled off, struck him and killed him instantly, according to a report in the Eatonton Messenger.
Bucket operator electrocuted
A lift operator died September 24, 2017, on Siesta Key in Sarasota, Florida, after coming in contact with a live power line.
Apparently, the worker was in a bucket truck when contact was made with a live wire. The victim, who could not be reached until power was shut off, died at the scene, according to the Bradenton Herald report.
Man electrocuted when ladder touches power line
A man was electrocuted after his ladder touched a power line while he was trimming trees September 27, 2017, in Orange County, near Orlando, Florida.
Investigators said the man was trimming trees when he moved his ladder, which hit a power line, electrocuting him. It was unclear if he was trimming trees that were damaged during Hurricane Irma, according to an Orlando Sentinel report.
August 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Two landscapers hurt felling tree
Two landscape workers were injured August 1, 2017, in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, when they were struck by a tree they were taking down. Firefighters and two ambulances responded and brought the two men to Cape Cod Hospital.
Three workers from a local landscape firm were working on the property and were notching the tree to take it down when the accident occurred.
The owner was inside the home and heard a scream. Both injured men were conscious when he went outside, according to a Cape Cod Times report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker died August 4, 2017, in Windsor, Connecticut, when he was struck in the head by a tree limb.
Shawn Varley, 33, of Harwinton, Conn., was working for a log and lumber company in a wooded area when he suffered what police said was “a fatal blow to the head by a tree branch,” according to a Hartford Courant report.
Man hurt cutting a tree on the ground
A man suffered minor injuries August 7, 2017, after he fell in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal while trimming trees in Downsville, Maryland.
The man was trimming trees hanging over the canal. He cut a tree that then rolled toward him, pushing him off a wall into the water. The man fell about 10 feet off the canal towpath, according to a Herald-Mail Media report.
Tree worker killed in fall
A tree worker died August 8, 2017, in Washington County, Tennessee, when he fell about 30 feet from a tree he was working on.
Johnny Fillers, 42, of Greene County, was trimming a tree at a commercial property when he fell. He was taken to Johnson City Medical Center, where he died of injuries suffered in the accident, according to a report in The Greeneville Sun.
Tree trimmer injured when lift overturns
A man trimming trees in Orlando, Florida, was injured August 8, 2017, when his aerial platform overturned.
The man, 29, was working for a national tree care and landscape firm, using a lightweight, three-wheeled, self-propelled lift, and appears to have driven one wheel off of a verge, causing the overturn.
He was rushed to a hospital where his injuries were said to be non-life-threatening, according to a report in The Vertikal Press.
Lift operator shocked by power line
A worker for a tree service company was shocked when he came into contact with a power line while working from an aerial lift August 9, 2017, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The worker never lost consciousness and did not go into cardiac arrest. He was taken to the trauma center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, according to a WAVY Channel 10 report.
Worker killed by rope caught in chipper
A tree worker died five days after being strangled by a rope while feeding limbs into a chipper August 15, 2017, in Napa, California.
Jeremy Booth, 24, of Napa, was reportedly placing limbs into a wood chipper while his two crew members were using ropes to lower limbs down to him. An errant rope went into the wood chipper and snared Booth by the neck.
Although his co-workers were able to shut the machine off before Booth was pulled in, he still received serious injuries to his neck and was taken to the Napa Queen of the Valley Hospital and placed in an intensive care unit. On August 20, Booth was taken to a hospital in San Ramon so that his organs could be transplanted, according to reports in the Napa Valley Register and on www.sacramentoinjuryattorneysblog.com.
At least one rope was pulling Booth toward the chipper, according to a KRON4 report. Booth was in the loading area of the chipper by the time the co-workers got the chipper to turn off. But the ropes had been around Booth’s neck and he lost oxygen.
Witnesses said it was an awful situation, and they won’t forget the screams from one of the workers who was up in the tree, according to the KRON4 report.
Tree worker electrocuted
A worker for a national tree service company was electrocuted August 22, 2017, in Sacramento, California, while using a chain saw near a power line.
The trimmer may have contacted a live power wire with his chain saw while tree trimming and fell to the ground, according to a secondhand report from a representative of the Sacramento Fire Department. The worker was revived and transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he died a short time later, according to a report made directly to a TCIA staff member.
Tree worker killed by felled tree
A tree worker died August 22, 2017, in Bloomington, Indiana, when he was apparently struck by a tree being felled by his brother.
Robert Hendrickson, 49, of Bloomington, was working for a local tree service at the time of the accident, according to a report made directly to a TCIA staff member.
Hendrickson held various jobs through the years but was a tree trimmer by trade, according to his obituary on www.allencares.com.
Tree worker suffers 40 bee stings
A tree service owner suffered about 40 bee stings while felling a tree August 24, 2017, in Pretty Prairie, Kansas.
Abe Taylor was about 20 feet up in the tree cutting apart a tree at a residence when he saw a few honeybees flying around. It wasn’t until he cut off a specific section of the tree that angry bees started pouring out.
“I finished that cut, and my face looked like a honeycomb, just covered in bees,” Taylor told The Hutchinson News.
Taylor quickly slid down the tree in his harness, careful to keep his eyes and mouth closed. He and his co-worker, who was cutting up logs on the ground, ran. Taylor’s co-worker injured his foot escaping the bees, while Taylor suffered an estimated 40 stings, including about 12 on his face – eyebrows, ears and one on his lip.
Within the hour, Taylor resumed work cleaning up the tree limbs while beekeepers called by 911 dispatchers removed the bees, according to the report in The Hutchinson News.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A homeowner died August 25, 2017, in a tree-cutting accident in Woodstock, Connecticut.
Kenneth R. Egeberg, 58, was apparently struck by a tree while trying to cut it down. Egeberg was found by his father and pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Bulletin.
Tree worker hurt after being struck by vehicle
A tree service worker was seriously injured August 28, 2017, after he was struck by a vehicle in McDonald, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
William Quinn was directing a company truck that was backing up when a driver, Roseanne Holder, 89, of McDonald, struck him. Holder told police she did not see Quinn.
Quinn was flown by emergency helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital, where he was treated for broken bones and facial injuries, including broken teeth, according to a report in the Observer-Reporter.
Climber hurt in fall from tree
A tree climber was injured August 29, 2017, when he fell from a tree in downtown Stamford, Connecticut.
The 47-year-old Norwalk man fell about five feet from the tree but landed directly on his face. The man suffered a concussion and was rushed to Stamford Hospital with cuts to his face.
The man was part of a crew putting down concrete sidewalks and had been contracted to take down several 20-foot trees.
The man was wearing safety equipment, and it was possible the man’s climbing spikes slipped just before he took the fall, according to a report in The Advocate.
Lift operator electrocuted
An aerial lift operator was electrocuted August 30, 2017, in Loyall, Harlan County, Kentucky.
Brian Collins, 46, owner of Collins’ Tree Service, died when the boom of his bucket truck contacted a high-voltage power line while he was trying to reach some tree limbs. Collins was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WYMT report.
Man, 85, killed in struck-by
An 85-year-old homeowner died August 31, 2017, when a tree he was cutting fell on him in Mullica Township, New Jersey.
Ronald Loatwall was pronounced dead at the scene after police received a 911 call from his wife. He had been cutting a tree in the yard of the couple’s home, according to a NJ.com report.
July 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
County employee dies from tree-work injuries
A Department of Public Works employee injured while taking down trees along a highway July 5, 2017, in Bryan County, Georgia, died from his injuries almost two weeks later. John “Tony” Cribbs, 59, of Ellabell, Ga., died July 17 at Memorial Hospital in Savannah.
On July 5, an excavator operator was attempting to push over a large pine tree while Cribbs was cutting the tree at its base with a chain saw. The tree struck Cribbs and he was cut on his upper-right leg, apparently by the chain saw, and also sustained injuries to his chest and abdomen, according to a Bryan County News report.
Tree service owner injured when tree fails
The owner of an area tree-trimming business was injured July 7, 2017, in Caseville, Michigan, when the tree he was taking down abruptly fell before he had anticipated.
Firefighters responding to a report of a man trapped underneath a fallen tree found that the man was not actually beneath the tree, but was lying right beside it.
Witnesses said the man was up 15 to 20 feet in an oak tree and had himself roped to a section of the tree. When he cut a piece off the top, it swung into the trunk of the tree and brought everything down with it. The oak tree was quite rotten inside.
The man was taken to Scheurer Hospital for treatment of his injuries, according to the Huron Daily-Tribune report.
Worker hospitalized after fall from tree
A man cutting limbs July 8, 2017, in Lowell, Massachusetts, was injured after falling at least 30 feet to the ground. The man, who was first reported to be unconscious but breathing, was talking to emergency crews approximately 25 minutes after the fall. A MedFlight helicopter was called to transport the man to a hospital in Boston.
Residents who live nearby said they had heard the sound of chain saws coming from the property the previous couple of days. One woman said she had seen a man attached to the tree by a tether earlier on the day of the accident. A tether remained at the top of the tree, which was surrounded by police tape, after the accident.
Police said the work being done on the tree was being carried out by a private contractor, according to a Lowell Sun report.
Lift operator hurt when ejected
An aerial-lift operator was injured after falling about 40 feet from the bucket while cutting trees July 11, 2017, in Butler Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania.
The man was trimming trees when a tree fell onto the arm of the bucket truck, resulting in him being thrown to the ground. The victim was taken to the hospital, according to a WNEP ABC 16 report.
Man hurt in fall from ladder
A resident was injured July 13, 2017, after he fell from a ladder onto pavement while trimming a tree in Spring Grove, Illinois.
The man had fallen backward about 15 feet off a ladder onto the pavement. He had been trimming low-hanging branches after the storms.
The man was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville via Flight for Life for precautionary reasons because he had both head and chest injuries, according to a Northwest Herald report.
Man dies after falling from tree
A man died July 13, 2017, in Banks, Oregon, after he fell from a tree. Joseph Bradbury, 37, of Banks, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Witnesses told deputies Bradbury was climbing a large cedar tree before falling to the ground. Deputies said Bradbury was associated with the property the tree sits on. However, they said it’s not known why he climbed the tree or what caused him to fall, according to the KGW-TV report.
Shocked trimmer rescued from ladder
A tree worker left hanging upside down from a ladder after striking an electrical wire while trimming a tree was rescued by firefighters July 14, 2017, in St. Lucie County, Florida.
When rescue crews arrived, they found the man hanging upside down from a ladder, attached by his harness. The man was taken to a local trauma hospital in serious condition, according to a tcpalm.com report.
Man trimming from ladder falls 25 feet
A man was in stable condition after he fell 25 feet while trimming trees from a ladder July 14, 2017, in Lillian Lake Township, Minnesota. The 54-year-old man was working on the tree when a branch fell and struck his ladder. He sustained several injuries in his subsequent fall and was airlifted to the hospital, according to a KMSP-TV Fox 9 report.
Firefighter hurt moving tree from road
A firefighter was injured while attempting to move a fallen tree from a roadway July 16, 2017, in Coweta County, Georgia.
Lieutenant Adam Moss, a nine-year veteran of the Coweta County Fire Rescue Department, was injured when a large section of the tree snapped, causing it to strike and subsequently fall on Moss. Moss was airlifted from the scene to Atlanta Medical Center. He underwent surgery and was out of the Intensive Care Unit a few days later, according to a report in The Newnan Times-Herald.
A witness said two firefighters were trying to remove a huge limb that covered the street, according to a WSB TV Atlanta Channel 2 report. They had it on the ground, but when they cut a limb, it rolled onto Moss, pinning him. The witness called 911.
The other firefighter and responders couldn’t lift the limb off Moss, and had to cut pieces from it while Moss pleaded for them to get it off of him, the witness told WSB TV.
Man killed by felled tree
A man died July 17, 2017, in Chehalis, Washington, when he was struck by a cut tree in what was described as a logging accident. Deputies from the local sheriff’s office and aid crews arrived to find a tree had fallen on Robert Becker, 63, of Chehalis, causing extensive head and chest injuries.
Becker’s brother, 68, also from Chehalis, told deputies that the two of them were logging on the property using a tree processor when a tree fell in an unexpected trajectory. The victim attempted to outrun the tree, but was unsuccessful.
The older brother cleared away the tree debris from Robert Becker and performed CPR until aid crews arrived.
Both brothers were experienced loggers, and the logging equipment on the property belonged to them. The logging activity was not done in connection with a business, but was a private enterprise, according to a report in The Chronicle.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man died July 20, 2017, after a tree fell on him while he was cutting it outside of his home in Lebanon, Illinois. Daryl L. O’Leary, 64, was cutting a tree when it fell, hitting him on the head and pinning him.
O’Leary was taken to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to a KMOV-TV Channel 4 report.
Property owner killed by failed tree
A homeowner died July 25, 2017, in Snohomish, Washington, while attempting to remove a rotten tree on his property.
The 61-year-old man had told his wife earlier in the day that he had planned to cut down a rotten tree on their property. At 11 p.m., when she could not find him and he was not answering his cell phone, the man’s wife called the sheriff.
Deputies responded to the home and searched the property and found the man lying face down under a fallen tree, with two chain saws next to him. He was dead from a traumatic head injury. The deputies reported that the tree appeared to be rotten, according to a KOMO News report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed by a falling tree while helping a friend clear property July 26, 2017, in Loudon County, Tennessee. Emergency responders found the man pinned under the tree.
The pair had been using a piece of equipment to hold the tree up while they cut it into smaller pieces, when a portion of the trunk fell on the victim. The victim, who was in his 60s, was taken by ambulance to Fort Sanders Loudon Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Knoxville News Sentinel report.
Firefighters rescue worker from palm
Firefighters rescued a climber who became trapped 50 feet up under collapsed palm fronds July 27, 2017, in Rancho Bernardo, San Diego, California.
Emergency crews responded to the backyard of a home on the Country Club-Rancho Bernardo golf course after the man became trapped while trimming dead fronds from the palm. He was pulled to safety more than an hour later.
Firefighters used a ladder truck to reach the man. Helicopter video showed the man’s head protruding from the fronds. He was conscious and talking to firefighters who were cutting away fronds to free him.
The rescue ended when firefighters cut the man’s harness to pull him to safety as he hung suspended with his legs wrapped around the palm and his upper body on a fire-engine ladder.
“This was an extreme technical rescue,” San Diego Fire Battalion Chief Glenn Holder said. “These things don’t always have good outcomes.”
The tree trimmer was breathing and stable after the rescue and was taken to a hospital, according to a FOX 5 San Diego report.
Two tree workers attacked by bees
Two tree service employees were recovering after being stung by bees July 29, 2017, in Riverfront Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. Firefighters used a hose to spray a water and foam solution to help with bee removal, according to a KQNA News 1130 AM report.
June 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A man was injured when he fell approximately 30 feet from a tree June 1, 2017, in Westford, Massachusetts.
The victim appeared to have suffered a fractured femur and blunt-force chest trauma. He was transported for treatment via medical helicopter, according to a report in the Lowell Sun.
Property owner crushed by felled tree
A property owner in his 40s was struck by a tree he was attempting to take down, then trapped beneath it June 2, 2017, near Yelm, in Thurston County, Washington.
The man was attempting to take down the tree when it hit him in the back as it fell on top of him. Family members lifted the tree off of him with an excavator. When the fire department reached the scene, the man had been removed from underneath the tree, which was about 15-18 inches in diameter where it hit him.
The man had “crushing” injuries, but was conscious and responsive when medics arrived, according to a report in The Olympian. Fire and medical units continued to keep the man stable on the way to Cougar Mountain Airfield less than two miles away. He was then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Climber killed in struck-by
A climber was killed when a portion of the tree he was cutting broke free and struck him June 6, 2017, in Bristol, Virginia.
Thomas Gibson, 51, of New Tazewell, Tennessee, was climbing a tree and cutting the top portion of it when the tree suddenly snapped, falling back on Gibson and killing him. Gibson was left suspended 40 to 50 feet off the ground after the tree snapped.
It was unclear why Gibson was in the area and what type of tree work he was doing, according to a Bristol Herald Courier report.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A tree removal company employee was injured June 13, 2017, in Burlington, Connecticut, after being struck by a tree he was cutting down.
The man was cutting down a leaning tree when the tree or a portion of the tree fell on him. Rescue crews removed the tree from the victim, and a LifeStar chopper airlifted him to a hospital, according to a Fox61 news report.
Helpful neighbor killed by cut limb
A man was crushed and killed June 18, 2017, in South Linden, Ohio, by a tree limb he was cutting for a neighbor.
The man was standing on a ladder propped against the tree when the limb swung and struck his head from behind, likely killing him on impact. Medics and police were called to the scene, where the man was pronounced dead. The limb weighed several hundred pounds, according to police.
Those who live in the area said the man, who was believed to be in his 40s, was a kindhearted handyman who enjoyed helping people in the neighborhood. He wasn’t a professional tree-trimmer and didn’t live at the address where he died, but he and others were helping a woman who did live at the home.
One neighbor said they had growing concern for the man’s safety as they watched him saw down portions of the tree during the previous two days. Though most of its limbs were sawed down to stubs, the trunk still stretched at least a story high after the accident, and it appeared that ropes were still tied to the limb that killed the man, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
Climber electrocuted
Firefighters and utility workers helped recover the body of an arborist electrocuted June 19, 2017, while trimming trees in Littleton, Colorado. Rescuers put out a call for help to find a bucket truck, and soon after, other arborists came to help.
“It looked like he had all the safety gear on, he had a helmet and was tied to the tree appropriately,” Jackie Erwin, the Littleton Fire Rescue emergency manager, said, according to a report from ABC Channel 7 in Denver.
According to a report received directly by TCIA staff, the victim, Kyle Miller, of Miller Tree Service in Morrison, Colo., was working as a subcontractor for another tree service at the time of the incident. This accident was an indirect contact while lowering a limb that swung into an old, small, three-phase line in an older part of town.
Township tree worker cuts leg
A Manalapan, New Jersey, Township Department of Public Works employee cut his leg June 20, 2017, while performing tree maintenance. The employee sustained a leg injury and was transported by the Manalapan Englishtown First Aid Squad to an area hospital for treatment, according to a patch.com report.
Tree worker charged with OUI after rolling bucket truck
Police charged a tree worker with driving under the influence and drug possession June 22, 2017, when the tree trimming bucket truck he was driving rolled over on Route 2 near Route 78 in the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, Connecticut.
Kevin Graham, 31, of Colchester, Conn., was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was later released on a non-surety bond and was scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court July 6, 2017.
Witnesses told police they saw Graham driving the truck north on Route 2 at a high rate of speed with the trailer it was towing swerving back and forth in the road, according to a report in The Day. As Graham approached the intersection with Route 78, the truck swerved to the right, drove onto the shoulder and a grassy area and then turned over, landing on its right side. It then slid across the intersection into the road. The crash took down three traffic signs and a signal light.
Before being taken to a hospital for undisclosed injuries, Graham underwent sobriety tests and was charged. Police said they found drug paraphernalia and a material suspected of being marijuana in the truck, as well as an undisclosed controlled substance, according to the report in The Day.
Submitted by a TCI Magazine reader.
Owner/operator hurt when bucket fails
A seasoned owner/operator of a tree service was seriously injured when his aerial lift failed June 25, 2017, in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Mike Hines sustained four broken ribs and two fractured vertebrae, and his face was “sheared” from going down the concrete wall of a building when his bucket collapsed. The upper boom of the bucket landed on a dumpster, keeping it from hitting and possibly killing one of his workers. He was strapped into the bucket, and witnesses said that was what saved him, according to a report given directly to TCIA staff. The truck was described as “pretty old,” and it is not known if it was regularly inspected.
Man loses part of leg in wood chipper
A man lost part of his leg in a wood-chipper accident June 25, 2017, in West Babylon, New York, on Long Island.
Robert Fischer, 72, of West Babylon was operating what appeared to be a commercial-grade wood chipper at a residence when his right leg got caught in the machine. Fischer’s son, Richard, was able to free his father from the machine.
Fischer was transported by the East Farmingdale Fire Department to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip. The equipment was impounded for a safety check and OSHA was notified of the incident, according to a patch.com/new-york/lindenhurst report.
May 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber hurt when ascender fails
A climber for a tree care company received minor injuries May 1, 2017, in Southeastern Massachusetts after he fell when his Advanced Ropeclimbing Technology (ART) Spiderjack 3 mechanical Prusik (ascender/descender) failed. The climber recounted that the device was not functioning normally. He took his weight off to adjust it and thought he fixed the problem. When he put his weight back into it, the device failed completely and he fell. He injured his elbow and was experiencing back pain, according to information relayed directly to TCIA staff. ART has issued a public notice.
Operator killed in fall from bucket
A lift operator was killed when he was knocked from an aerial-lift bucket while cutting a tree May 2, 2017, in Ashdown, Arkansas, near Fayetteville.
Emergency crews found Tommy Green, 68, of Ashdown, lying on the ground near a tree he’d been working on. The bucket was still about 45 to 50 feet in the air resting against a large pine that had the top cut off.
According to a witness, Green was in the bucket lift with a chain saw. After the tree’s top was cut, it started to fall and hit other trees. It rebounded and struck the boom on the truck, causing Green to be ejected.
Little River EMS crews gave aid to Green, but he was unresponsive. Green, who operated his own tree and landscape business, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Texarkana Gazette and Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette report.
Operator hurt when tree strikes boom
A bucket operator was hurt but may owe his life to his fall-restraint harness after a portion of the tree he was working on struck the boom, tossing him from the bucket May 2, 2017, in Overland Park, Texas.
A tree crew was dealing with a storm-damaged black oak that was uprooted and leaning into another tree. They set up rigging on the top portion of the tree so they could cut in the middle, allowing the trunk to fall. They would then rig out the top of the tree with the two rigging lines.
Aaron Kiefer was working from the bucket truck about 30 feet off the ground. He remembers making his back-cut with the saw after putting a notch in, and the next thing he remembers is coming to on the ground as a neck brace was being applied.
Those on the crew who saw it said that one of the rigging lines snapped and the top of the tree smacked the boom. Kiefer was flung around in the harness system like a rag doll, he was told, as the boom violently swung up and down from the impact. He had no broken bones but was off work for about the next three weeks, according to a report relayed directly to TCIA staff.
Man electrocuted trimming branches
A man trimming tree branches at a home in Far North Bexar County, Texas, died May 4, 2017, after he hit a power line with the equipment he was using to cut the branches. The man fell from the tree after getting shocked.
Neighbors reportedly said the victim, Jesse Garza, 58, was not the homeowner and suspected he was doing work at the house. It was unclear whether the fall or the shock killed Garza, according to a KABB Fox 29 report.
Employee killed clearing tree from road
A highway employee was killed May 5, 2017, in northern Gosport, in Owen County, Indiana, while trying to move a tree from the roadway. The man was struck by a vehicle while trying to move the tree, according to a WISH-TV report.
83-year-old man killed by cut tree
An 83-year-old man was killed when a tree he was attempting to cut down fell on him May 5, 2017, in Porter Township, Michigan. Based on evidence at the scene, Gordon Jackson, of Cass County, Mich., was cutting down a large tree when it broke free and landed on him, according to a South Bend Tribune and WZZM 13 report.
Tree kills man clearing brush with tractor
A man using a tractor to clear brush on a hillside died May 11, 2017, in Magnolia Township, Putnam County, Illinois, when a tree fell on him, pinning him.
Responding emergency personnel found John W. Rott, 54, still pinned. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It appeared a tree gave way on a hillside as Rott was clearing brush, with the tree falling onto Rott as he rode on an open cab tractor, according to a News-Tribune report.
Man hurt in 20-foot fall from tree
A man was seriously injured when he fell about 20 feet while cutting a tree limb May 16, 2017, in Edgewater, near Annapolis, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
Responding firefighters found the 67-year-old man, and he was flown by a Maryland State Police medevac helicopter to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. His injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, according to a patch.com report.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A tree service worker was injured May 17, 2017, in Framingham, Massachusetts, when he was hit in the shoulder by a falling tree branch. The 34-year-old man did not lose consciousness, but was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, according to a Boston Globe report.
Climber pinned, injured
A climber working in a tree at a resident’s home May 19, 2017, in Suffolk, Virginia, was injured and had to be rescued after being pinned in the tree by a cut limb.
Crews were called for a report that a man was stuck in a tree. The man, who was believed to be in his late 30s, was pinned by a 20-foot section of the tree at his torso, right arm and right leg – suspending him nearly upside down about 24 feet from the ground.
Technical rescue teams from Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Norfolk responded along with local emergency crews. A local manufacturing company provided a crane to help in the rescue. Thunderstorms and lightning moving across the city complicated rescue efforts.
The victim was removed from the tree and flown to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to a WAVY-TV report.
Landscaper shocked trimming trees
A landscape worker was shocked May 20, 2017, in Palm Beach, Florida, when he struck a power line while trimming trees. The extent of the 33-year-old man’s injuries was not immediately known, but he was taken to St. Mary’s Medical Center, where he was stable and under cardiac monitoring, according to a Palm Beach Daily News report.
Tree service co-owner killed in struck-by
The co-owner of a local tree service was killed by a falling tree May 22, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Chasity Elaine Wileman, 39, from Bradley County, Tenn., and co-owner of a local tree service company, was struck by a falling tree outside a home. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The circumstances of the incident were being investigated, according to a Chattanoogan.com report.
Climber killed in fall
A climber was killed May 27, 2017, in Dekalb County, Georgia, after he fell while cutting limbs in a tree.
Brandon LeBlanc, 39, of Acworth, Ga., was cutting limbs when he fell and hit the trunk of the tree. Investigators said the skilled tree cutter was wearing a double safety harness and his helmet, and were unsure why he fell, according to a WSB-TV Channel 2 report.
Property owner killed by cut tree
A property owner was killed May 27, 2017, in Barnesboro, Pennsylvania, when a tree he was cutting down fell on top of him.
Jesse Snyder, 37, was using a chain saw to cut the tree on his Susquehanna Township property in western Pennsylvania. The tree began to fall but hit a nearby branch and was redirected toward Snyder, hitting him on the head.
He was pronounced dead at the scene due to a head injury, according to a report in The Pocono Record.
Landscaper electrocuted trimming trees
A man was electrocuted May 27, 2017, in Cape Coral, Florida, while he was trimming a tree for a client at a residence.
The victim, a local landscaper, apparently touched a power line with the pole saw he was using, according to a WFTX-TV/FOX 4 report.
April 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Operator escapes crane mishap
The operator escaped uninjured after a crane being used to remove a tree from a home in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 1, 2017, instead fell onto the home, damaging it and a neighboring home and leaving the cab of the crane 30 feet in the air.
The homeowner reported that the tree workers advised the crane operator not to take such a large section of the tree, but the operator did not listen. Seconds later, the crane plowed into her home and the truck tipped upright.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and two other large cranes came to the scene. After several hours, neighbors watching the recovery efforts cheered as the original crane truck was back on four wheels and the crane was off the house, according to a WJXT News4Jax report.
Worker electrocuted using pole saw
A man died April 3, 2017, in Colleyville, Texas, after he was electrocuted while trimming a tree with a pole saw.
Luis Calderon, 20, of Carrollton, Texas, was trimming a tree with an aluminum pole saw when he accidentally touched a power line. Co-workers found Calderon unconscious in a tree, hanging from a rope. They lowered him to the ground.
Calderon was rushed to the hospital, where he later died, according to a WFAA-TV ABC Channel 8 report.
Tree worker shocked when boom touches power line
A tree worker on the ground was shocked when an aerial-lift boom came into contact with a power line April 5, 2017, in Jacksonville, Florida.
The bucket operator saw a fire on the truck started by the contact and jumped out of the bucket. He was not hurt. But a 20-year-old co-worker in the cab of the truck had started to get out. When the arm of the truck hit the power line, it sent electricity down to the cab, where the man, who was half in and half out of the truck, was shocked.
The injured worker was initially taken to a local hospital, then was transferred to the burn unit at University of Florida Health Shands in Gainesville. His condition was not reported, but a co-worker said there were visible entry and exit wounds, and News4Jax reported that he could lose both feet and a hand.
Officials told News4Jax that the top part of the boom was insulated but not the bottom part, which made contact. The fire was quickly put out, according to the WJXT-Channel 4 News4Jax report.
Parks worker hurt in struck-by
A state parks maintenance worker at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan, New Jersey, sustained serious head injuries April 5, 2017, when a heavy branch from a tree fell on top of him while he was cutting it down.
The worker was cutting it down at the trunk. He was wearing full protective gear for the tree removal, including a helmet, face shield, gloves and safety chaps. The worker also was being assisted by two spotters for the tree removal.
The worker was airlifted to an area hospital and was reported to be in critical condition. The workers were removing trees to prevent the spread of the emerald ash borer, according to the patch.com report.
Lift operator killed in struck-by
A lift operator was killed April 6, 2017, in Calaveras County, California, while clearing trees as part of a forest fire cleanup project.
Chris Hiser, 21, of Sonora, was a tree worker working for a subcontractor on the project. He was in a bucket truck trimming vegetation when a limb from the tree he was working on, or one nearby, slid down the boom, striking and killing him.
Tree removal crews were removing trees destroyed in the Butte Fire of 2015, according to the Calaveras Enterprise report.
Man killed while trimming tree
A 45-year-old man was found dead April 10, 2017, in Thetford, Vermont, beneath a large tree that apparently fell on him when he was trimming some of its branches.
Jason Eno, of Piermont, New Hampshire, had been working as a caretaker at a property off state Route 113 and was reported missing. Eno’s body was found trapped beneath a large tree that protruded over a frozen pond, which apparently fell on top of him while he was cutting the limbs. Eno’s body was recovered from the frozen pond, according to an NH1 News Network and Associated Press report.
It was unclear from the report if Eno had died that day or how long he’d been missing.
Man killed in tree-trimming accident
A 35-year-old man was killed in a tree-trimming accident April 10, 2017, near Gaviota, California. The man was trimming trees at one of the ranches in the area at the time of the incident. Emergency personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene, according to a KSBY-TV Channel 6 report.
Firefighters free man trapped under tree
A 66-year-old man was rushed to the hospital after a large tree he was cutting down fell on top of him April 11, 2017, in Champaign County, north of Mechanicsburg, Ohio.
The victim was trapped under the estimated 50-foot tree for approximately 30 minutes before firefighters arrived and freed him. The man was conscious at the scene, but was complaining of numbness in his right leg. EMS transported the man to Dublin Methodist Hospital for treatment, according to a WHIO-TV 7 report.
Climber hurt when harness fails
A tree trimmer was seriously injured April 11, 2017, when his harness apparently broke and he fell about 35 feet to the ground in Deer Park, Suffolk County, New York. The man was working on a tree outside a residence.
He was taken by medical helicopter to Stony Brook University Medical Center, according to a Newsday report.
Man severely injured when pinned against tree
A man was seriously injured April 12, 2017, in Dunkirk, New York, when he was pinned about 15 feet off the ground between a large limb he had cut, his ladder and the trunk of the tree he was cutting down.
Emergency responders found the man severely injured but stable. Additional manpower was requested to the scene, as well as a lift from the city Department of Public Works and two crews from National Grid with bucket trucks. Medical personnel assisted with medical treatment while the patient was pinned.
A National Grid bucket truck was used to access the tree limb and secure it to mechanically relieve the pressure from the patient. Once the pressure was relieved, the man was immediately lowered to the ground by firefighters, then flown to the Erie County Medical Center for treatment, according to a Post Journal report.
Two-year-old boy killed, brother injured by cut tree
A felled tree struck and killed a two-year-old boy and seriously injured his five-year-old brother April 13, 2017, after their father cut it down in the family’s La Plata, Maryland, yard,
The injured boys were taken by medical helicopter to a hospital, where the two-year-old was later pronounced dead. The older boy was hospitalized in serious condition.
The boys were watching their father cut down the tree from a distance of about 50 feet when the tree suddenly fell toward them, according to a report in The Washington Post.
Operator killed in fall from lift
An experienced tree care worker was killed April 13, 2017, in Seattle, Washington, when he was thrown from the bucket of his material-handler truck.
Tim Waterman, 55, the owner of Northern Arboriculture, was lifting a load when the cable snapped and the bucket bounced up and he was thrown out. Eyewitnesses said he was not wearing a hard hat, nor was he secured to the boom with a body harness. He landed on his head and lived until he got to the hospital, where he then died.
Waterman had been an arborist for about 40 years, according to a TCIA member who knew him and relayed details of the incident.
Waterman’s wife gave birth to their fourth child just hours after the accident, according to a KDKA and cbslocal.com report.
Worker dies after fall from tree
A man working for a tree care company died April 15, 2017, near Twain Harte, California, after a tree he was cutting fell into power lines and he then apparently fell from the tree. The man died from his injuries about two hours after the accident, according to a report in The Modesto Bee.
Line-clearance worker shocked, dies
A climber working for a tree care contractor providing line-clearance services died April 17, 2017, in Chesapeake, Virginia, after being shocked while trimming a tree.
Muhammad Yahya Abdur-Raheem, 39, of Newport News, Va., was suspended in a tree removing some limbs when one of the branches struck a live wire.
Medical technicians had to remove him from the tree. He was taken to Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, where he later died, according to WAVY-TV and The Virginian-Pilot reports.
Failing tree kills worker near U.S. Capitol
A tree near the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., partially collapsed April 19, 2017, killing a man on the ground below.
The large, mature American elm fell on Matthew McClanahan, a grounds-maintenance worker who had been working nearby on an irrigation pipe when a 30- to 40-foot section of the tree split at the trunk.
Emergency workers extracted McClanahan from the tree. He was taken to a nearby hospital, but didn’t survive his injuries.
The remainder of the elm was cut down, according to a News Channel 10 report that combined information from WJLA, The Washington Post and other sources.
Man dies in struck-by
A man died April 22, 2017, in Wilmington Township, Illinois, while cutting a tree at a campground.
Jerry Cole, 66, was among the volunteers clearing dead trees from the recreation site to prepare for camping season. He and his brother were cutting down a large tree. His brother was in the tree and he was on the ground when the tree broke off and fell the wrong way, landing on Cole.
Cole was taken to Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center and later pronounced dead, according to a report in The Herald-News.
Unconscious man in tree 35 feet from ground rescued by firefighters
A man who had been trimming a tree and was found stuck in the tree, unconscious, 35 feet from the ground at 9:30 at night with rain on the way, was rescued April 26, 2017, in Jackson, Michigan.
Three firefighters had to go up in the tree to aid the man, who had a medical emergency while working without a harness in the tree using an electric chain saw attached to an extension cord. He was lying across a couple of limbs.
Firefighters called in the assistance of a specially trained Jackson Urban Search and Rescue team, which used a series of ground ladders, ropes and harnesses to get the man down and into an ambulance. The man, who regained consciousness during the rescue, was then taken to a local hospital. The rain began during the rescue effort.
Officials did not know why the man was in the tree at such an hour or whether tree trimming was his occupation. The man had used a ladder to access the tree and then climbed higher into the branches, according to the mlive.com report.
Tree worker tries to shove co-worker into chipper
A man was charged with attempted murder April 26, 2017, in Keizer, Oregon after being accused of trying to shove a co-worker at a tree service company into a running wood chipper.
Scott Edward Iverson, 26, of Stayton, Ore., was also charged with fourth-degree assault. He was being held without bond.
Iverson and several other workers were working at a job site when he approached the victim, who was loading brush into the chipper, from behind. Iverson is accused of putting the man in a choke hold and pushing his upper torso onto the feed table of the machine. The victim, 22, told police he struggled with Iverson, who made a second attempt to throw him headfirst into the machine before another employee saw the struggle and pulled Iverson off of the man.
Iverson walked away from the scene, but police found him the next day.
The victim told investigators he had no idea why Iverson attacked him, but that he thought he was going to die in the assault, according to a report from KPTV in Portland.
March 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man injured in 50-foot fall from palm
A tree worker was severely injured March 1, 2017, when he fell about 50 feet from a palm in Santa Barbara, California.
The victim, a 21-year-old man, landed on a pile of palm fronds. He was conscious and alert but suffered major injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, according to a report on www.noozhawk.com.
Worker dies in leap from runaway truck
A tree service worker died March 4, 2017, in Bell Canyon, Ventura County, California, after jumping from the back of a runaway brush truck.
Roberto Cortez, 36, of Canyon Country, Calif., received major injuries after jumping from the truck in an attempt to escape the uncontrolled vehicle. He was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center by Los Angeles City Fire Department paramedics, where he was pronounced dead.
The truck was parked on a steep roadway as workers loaded branches into the back. Cortez was standing in the back of the truck organizing branches when, for reasons still under investigation, the vehicle slipped into drive and began to travel west down the roadway with no driver. As the vehicle increased in speed, Cortez leaped onto the roadway.
The truck continued traveling westward, striking two vehicles and finally coming to rest when it struck a fire hydrant. Two pedestrians that had been standing next to a vehicle that was hit received minor injuries, according to a Ventura County Star report.
Man injured in 30-foot fall from tree
A man suffered significant injuries when he fell an estimated 30 feet from a tree in Colchester, Connecticut, March 4, 2017.
The victim, identified as a 28-year-old male, was not wearing any kind of restraints when he fell, according to a WVIT NBC Channel 5 report.
Worker injured in spring-pole mishap
An employee of the Logan County Engineer’s Office in Logan County, Ohio, is expected to recover from a head injury he suffered March 6, 2017, while cutting trees along a roadway.
Greg Kennaw, an 11-year employee of the engineer’s office, was reportedly struck in the forehead beneath his hard hat by a tree that recoiled while being cut with a chain saw. He was flown from the scene by a CareFlight helicopter to St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, according to a Bellefontaine Examiner report.
Tree worker struck by wind-blown tree
A tree worker was injured March 7, 2017, in Iron, in St. Louis County, Minnesota, when, while working with crews to clear one tree, a second tree fell on him.
Robert Edblom, 58, of Britt, Minn., was among a crew working to remove a tree that had fallen on the road. As his crew was working amid the high winds, a nearby tree fell over and landed on Edblom.
He was airlifted from the scene and taken to Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a WCCO CBS Local Channel 4 report.
Helper killed by cut limb
A man died March 8, 2017, in Lagrange, Georgia, when he was struck by a limb he’d been helping another man cut.
The co-worker told police he was on a ladder cutting a tree branch when the limb suddenly shifted. The victim, who was 69 years old, was standing below the branch when it fell.
LaGrange police officers and detectives performed CPR on the man until first responders arrived, but the victim died at the scene, according to a LaGrange Daily News report.
Man injured after falling 35 feet from tree
A man was hospitalized March 9, 2017, in Houma, Louisiana, after he fell about 35 feet out of a tree he was trying to cut down.
First responders found the man stuck under a branch that had fallen on him, but he was conscious and breathing. He complained of severe neck and back pain and was taken by Acadian Air Med to University Medical Center New Orleans, according to a Houma Today report.
Man injured after 50-foot fall from tree
A climber was injured March 9, 2017, at a summer camp in Jackson Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, apparently after falling about 50 feet when the tree he was in failed.
The tree worker was up in the tree when it snapped. The man, who was wearing safety equipment at the time, fell and was then trapped under the fallen tree, according to a WBRE-TV report.
Tree company owner killed by cut tree
The owner of a tree care company was killed March 21, 2017, in Renick, Missouri, when the tree he was cutting shifted and fell on him.
Charles Eric Hamblen, 38, of rural Macon, owner of C & H Tree Removal, was reportedly cutting a tree for a Renick landowner when the wind shifted and the tree fell and struck Hamblen. Hamblen was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Moberly Monitor-Index report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man cutting down a tree outside his home March 25, 2017, in Canterbury, Connecticut, was killed when the tree fell on him.
Matthew Veloce, 32, was alone and using a chain saw to cut down the tree. His wife found him trapped under the tree and called for help.
First responders freed Veloce, but pronounced him dead a few minutes later, according to a report in The Hartford Courant.
One man electrocuted, another shocked in trimming incident
One man was killed and another was severely injured March 28, 2017, after coming into contact with power lines while trimming a tree in a backyard in Addison, near Chicago, Illinois.
One of the men was stuck in a tree and the other had been thrown from a ladder. Jose Fulgencio-Hueramo, 51, of Melrose Park, Ill., died at the hospital. The second man was also taken to an area hospital due to his injuries.
Police said the men appeared to be private homeowners and not employees of a landscaping service, according to the NBC 5 Chicago, WMAQ –TV report.
February 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Landscaper dies in chipper accident
A man who owned his own landscaping business was killed February 2, 2017, in an accident involving a wood chipper in Lebanon Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey.
Hayden Balboa, 24, of Califon, N.J., and owner-operator of SMY Landscape Service of Califon, died from injuries suffered while operating the machine, according to a New Jersey 101.5 FM report.
Teen killed in logging accident
A 14-year-old Conewango, New York, boy was killed February 3, 2017, in what was reported as a logging accident.
The boy, whose identity was withheld, was a member of the Amish community. Emergency personnel received a 911 call about the accident and responded to a wooded hillside off a roadway. New York State Forest Rangers and a doctor from Cattaraurgus County Emergency Services also responded, but the boy was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Tribune News Service and The Post-Standard report.
Submitted by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist for National Grid in Syracuse, N.Y.
Bucket operator hurt when tree fails
An aerial-lift bucket operator was hurt February 4, 2017, in Normandy Park, Washington, when a tree he had tied into for secondary safety failed, striking him.
Working for the city of Normandy Park in its Marine View Park, the arborist was working to take down a large madrone tree when he tied in to a nearby maple. He was about 50 feet up when, for no obvious reason, the maple snapped below his tie-in point, striking him on its way down. But the maple apparently landed on the long, angled madrone tree, preventing the operator from being pulled to the ground.
The operator lowered himself to the ground, injured, but apparently not seriously, as he was subsequently released from the hospital, according to a Normandy Park Blog report.
Climber killed in struck-by
A climber died February 6, 2017, in Sacramento, California, after he was apparently struck by a limb and injured and trapped in the tree.
Firefighters found Heriberto Rangel-Montoya, 39, about 25 feet off the ground pinned in the tree. Branches were hanging down in the way. They got a 35-foot ladder up to check Rangel-Montoya for vital signs, then used an aerial-ladder truck to recover his body.
It was unclear how Rangel-Montoya died, but a witness apparently said he saw a branch snap and Rangel-Montoya struggling, according to Capital Public Radio and The Sacramento Bee reports.
This item was a previously unreported incident from February 2017, so was reported in May issue.
Tree worker injured when pinned by log
A tree service owner was injured February 7, 2017, in Gore, Georgia, when a tree he’d felled and was cutting into sections rolled, pinning his hand. Kevin Godfrey, 36, of Chattooga County, Ga., lost a portion off two of his fingers from the accident.
High winds had knocked over a large oak tree in a resident’s yard. Godfrey described the tree as one of the biggest in the county. While working near the base of the tree, it popped up slightly and came toward him, landing on his chain saw and hand. A local farmer used a tractor to try to remove the tree, but could not budge it. A large log skidder was eventually used to move the tree.
Once freed, EMS rushed Godfrey to the hospital, where doctors immediately did surgery to put in a pain blocker and assess the damage to his hand. He’s had two more surgeries to repair the damaged hand, according to a report in The Summerville News.
Man killed by falling tree in woods
A man was killed February 8, 2017, near Corton, Kanawha County, West Virginia, after a tree fell on him in the woods.
An initial report by WSAZ News Channel 3 indicated the man was cutting the tree when it fell on him. But a subsequent WOWK-TV Channel 13 report said he was just walking in the woods when the tree fell on him.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed February 16, 2017, in a struck-by incident at the Sea Pines resort on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Samuel Cutshaw, 25, of Greer, S.C., was struck by a tree limb in Sea Pines as he worked with a tree-trimming crew. He died at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston just after midnight the next morning, according to an Island Packet report.
Cutshaw had worked for the tree care company since October, and recently had done a lot of cleanup work related to damage on Hilton Head caused by Hurricane Matthew, according to his obituary.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed February 20, 2017, in a struck-by incident in Arnold, Maryland.
Emergency responders received a call at 7:30 a.m. and found a man believed to be in his early- to mid-20s who had been struck by a tree while working in the area. Paramedics declared the man dead on the scene, according to a Capital Gazette report.
Tree worker killed in fall
A tree worker apparently fell to his death February 20, 2017, in Annapolis, Maryland.
After receiving a call, firefighters found a man who had fallen an estimated 30 feet from a tree. The man died as a result of injuries sustained from the fall, according to a Capital Gazette report.
Off-duty firefighter killed in struck-by
An off-duty firefighter died February 20, 2017, in Athens, Georgia, after he was struck by a limb while trimming a tree.
Matt Hughes was off-duty and helping a friend trim trees when a limb fell and struck him. Hughes died after he was taken to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Ga., according to WCTV and The Athens Banner-Herald reports.
Man reported injured in struck-by
A man trimming a tree was reported injured February 20, 2017, near Urbana, Illinois, when he was struck by a portion of the tree.
The man was airlifted from the scene by Arch Air and was taken to Carle Hospital in Urbana for examination, but he was apparently examined at the hospital due to a previous injury. Nothing was found wrong and the man was released, according to a 97.9 WXEF XFM report.
Lift operator trimming limbs shocked
A man trimming tree limbs was shocked February 23, 2017, in San Antonio, Texas, when a branch that was touching a power line also came into contact with the metal bucket the victim was using.
The man, who works with a tree service out of Karnes City, was in a backyard trimming branches near a powerline. A limb he’d cut fell, but came into contact with the bucket, shocking the worker in it.
Some of the people with him tried to drive him to a hospital, but they called for help and met an ambulance at a gas station nearby. The victim was unconscious as he was taken to Christus Santa Rosa Westover Hills. His condition was not available, according to a WOAI News 4 San Antonio report.
Operator dies in fall from aerial lift
A tree worker in an aerial-lift bucket was killed February 27, 2017, in Selma, Johnston County, North Carolina, when a gust of wind caused the tree he was cutting to crash into his truck, throwing the man more than 50 feet to the ground.
Kenneth Earl Vick, 65, was the co-owner of a local tree service company and was well-known in the area, according to a WITN and The Selma News report.
Co-workers with Vick at the time of the accident said something was tied to the tree and when the wind shifted, the tree lurched and he was thrown from the bucket and fell to the ground, according to The Selma News report.
January 2017 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber hurt in fall
A climber suffered multiple injuries January 5, 2017, when he fell about 50 feet out of a tree while working to clear a powerline in Springfield, New Hampshire.
Zebulon Lawrence of Troy, N.H., was part of a tree-cutting crew working along a power line for a line-clearance company about a mile from the nearest road when he fell. He was taken out to a road, then flown by helicopter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for treatment.
Police, fire and EMS personnel from Grantham, Springfield, New London and Sunapee as well as state police and Fish and Game officers assisted at the scene, according to The New Hampshire Union Leader.
Tree service owner killed in struck-by
A tree service owner was killed January 9, 2017, in Mansfield, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, when the tree he was cutting fell the wrong way, hitting him.
Carl “Sully” Sullivan, 71, of Mansfield, was working on private property running a chain saw. A tractor was positioned against the tree to nudge it in the right direction once Sullivan made the cut. But the tree kicked back and twisted and fell on him, according to a KTBS Channel 3 news report.
Worker killed in struck-by
A man was killed January 9, 2017, when he was struck by a large tree branch he was helping remove from power lines in Mount Shasta, Siskiyou County, in northern California.
David M. Schrock, 41, of Waldport, Oregon, was operating a “Sno-Cat” vehicle and helping remove a hazardous branch from a power line at the time of the incident, according to reports from the law offices of Jacoby & Meyers and the Redding Record Searchlight.
The initial report came in as an industrial accident, according to the Redding Record Searchlight, indicating that it was work-related.
Landscape worker killed working from ladder
A landscape company employee died while trimming trees from a ladder January 12, 2017, in Venice, Florida.
Raymundo Cavillo, 37, was working alone trimming a tree when a large branch gave way. The branch struck Cavillo and the ladder he was standing on, tossing Cavillo to the ground.
Paramedics with the Sarasota County Fire Department began life-saving efforts, but were unsuccessful, according to a WFTS-TV/ABC Action News report.
Tree worker dies in fall off cliff
A tree company employee was killed January 18, 2017, while clearing trees on the side of a high bluff in Signal Mountain, Tennessee. He was struck by a tree or part of a tree and rolled off a cliff, falling 150 feet.
Jeremi Derek Cagle, 34, of Chickamauga, Georgia, was behind a residence working on the ground with at least one other crew member trimming or removing trees from the edge of the bluff. A tree or part of a tree struck him, causing him to roll off the edge of the bluff. Another worker tried to grab Cagle before he fell, but was too late.
Cagle had been an employee at the tree company for eight months.
A cave and cliff rescue team helped pull Cagle’s body 150 feet up the side of the mountain, according to a WTVC News Channel 9 ABC report.
Worker killed by falling tree
A tree worker limbing a tree on the ground was killed January 23, 2017, in Ashland County, Wisconsin, when he was struck by another tree being felled by a co-worker.
Jay Cablk, 45, CTSP, owner of Jay’s Tree Service, in Ashland, Wisc., was killed when the second tree being prepared to be cut down prematurely fell. That tree landed on him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WDIO-TVABC 10/13 Eyewitness News report and information received by TCIA staff.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring throughout 2016
December 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Worker killed by felled tree
An experienced arborist was killed December 1, 2016, in Mariposa County, California, when a tree he was helping cut down landed on him.
Nash Mayer, 40, of Coarsegold, Calif., had been cutting trees for 16 years.
Mayer was on the ground, guiding a dead tree, when a pine fell on top of him, according to the KFSN-TV Fresno report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was found dead December 2, 2016, in Pierrepont, New York, after he was pinned by a tree in the woods. Stanley P. Tarbox, 60, of Pierrepont, was reported missing shortly after 5 p.m. St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies were told he had gone to the woods to hunt and to cut firewood.
Shortly after 7 p.m., deputies located Tarbox’s body. Tarbox apparently had attempted to cut down one tree, which became stuck in a second tree. When he tried to free it, the first tree fell on Tarbox, pinning him, according to a WWNY-TV/WNYF-TV report.
Worker killed while trimming palm
A man was killed December 3, 2016, in Redlands, California, after the skirt of fronds on the palm he was trimming broke. One report said he then fell to the ground from the palm.
The 48-year-old San Bernardino man who died was part of a crew trimming a palm tree at a private residence. The man had no pulse when Redlands firefighters arrived, according to a report in The Sun.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed while working alone at a residence December 6, 2016, in Vestavia Hills, Alabama.
Steven Paul Shaffield, 65, of Morris, Ala., was removing one or more trees at the home. The homeowner who hired Shaffield was unable to reach him by phone and went to the house to check on him. Shaffield was found behind the home and was pronounced dead at the scene.
A tree, or part of a tree, fell on him, according to a report in The Birmingham News.
Driver of tree truck one of three hurt in crash with bus
A driver of a tree service chip/dump truck was hurt along with at least two students after the truck struck a school bus December 6, 2016, in Buford, Gwinnett County, Georgia.
Witnesses said the driver of the tree service truck T-boned the school bus, coming from a local middle school, at an intersection. The truck driver and two students were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Other students suffered bumps and bruises.
Gwinnett County police hadn’t said if the driver of the truck will face charges, according to the WSB Atlanta Report.
Tree trimmer injured in fall
A tree worker was injured December 6, 2016, in Newark, Ohio, after he fell from a tree he was trimming. The man was taken by emergency medical helicopter to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, according to a Newark Advocate report.
Nobody injured when lift truck rolls over
A tree service bucket truck rolled over into a ditch while traveling on a road in North Salem, New York, December 12, 2016, but the occupants riding in it escaped unharmed, according to a report in The Journal News in White Plains.
Tree trimmer killed while directing traffic
A man working as part of a tree trimming crew was killed December 13, 2016, in Marietta, Georgia, when he was struck by a car while directing traffic.
Spencer Young, 60, of Lawrenceville, Ga., apparently held his hands up for driver Allen Martin, 82, of Marietta to stop, but for reasons unknown Martin kept going and struck Young with the left front side of his car.
Young was taken to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, where he later died of his injuries, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Homeowner dies in struck-by cutting firewood
A man was cutting trees and chopping wood on December 13, 2016, in Fawn Township, Pennsylvania, while his wife was away for the day. When his wife returned home and he had not, the family began to search for him.
Ronald Troutman, 78, was found under tree branches in a wooded area near his home. The coroner says that he had been hit by a tree branch and died sometime during the day, according to a WHP CBS21 report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A 33-year-old tree service worker from Greenville, Mississippi, died December 13, 2016, in Arcola, Miss., when a tree limb he was cutting fell and struck him on the head, according to a Delta Daily News and Delta Democrat Times report.
Firefighters rescue arborist from tree
An arborist had to be lowered from a tree by firefighters in the Monument Beach section of Bourne, Massachusetts, December 20, 2016, after he injured his leg while working. Firefighters found the man about 25 feet off the ground sitting in the tree. The man, about 50 and who had a chain saw, had been hit by a limb.
Using a ladder with a platform that extends from a fire truck, rescuers were able to get the arborist out of the tree and into an ambulance. He was then brought to Falmouth Hospital, according to a Cape Cod Times report.
Company owner killed in fall from palm
The owner of a tree care business on Tybee Island, Georgia, died December 28, 2016, after he fell while trimming a palm tree on Tybee Island. Thomas Solomon, 59, owner of Solomon’s Tree Services, was working at a rental property when he fell, sustaining injuries by hitting power lines, then the ground. His death was caused by blunt-impact injuries of the torso following electrocution, according to a WJCL News report.
November 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2017 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Landscape worker electrocuted in rented lift
A landscape worker operating an aerial lift died November 4, 2016, in Crescent City, Florida, after the electric saw he was using came in contact with a power line.
The 53-year-old man, who was self-employed as a lawn-care worker, had rented a lift and was working alone trimming trees next to a road for a homeowner when the incident occurred.
A resident who lives across the street said she heard a loud “boom” and ran out to see what it was. She said it was gut-wrenching to see what was unfolding.
“He tried to get up and then the line, when he went up, he touched the cable again and then he just went down again,” the neighbor told WJXT-Channel 4. “It was desperate. I felt like I wanted to climb and do something, but you can’t.”
When deputies and rescue personnel arrived, the man was still elevated in the bucket of the hydraulic lift. Florida Power and Light was called and shut off electricity to the line. When they lowered the bucket lift, the man was dead inside.
The line carried 7,200 volts of electricity (7.2 kV), according to the WJXT-Channel 4 report.
Homeowner hurt in struck-by
A man was injured November 9, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was struck by the branch of a large pine tree he was trimming.
The man was in his backyard on a ladder cutting the branch, apparently intending to only cut it part way, but the limb snapped. He was knocked off the ladder to the sidewalk, hit his head on the sidewalk and was knocked out for two or three minutes.
“I saw blood right away. I applied pressure on the back of his head. I called 911,” the man’s son told KSNV-TV NBC.
His father was talking to paramedics as he was being transported to University Medical Center, according to the KSNV-TV NBC report.
Tree trimmer dies in fall
A tree trimmer, apparently a climber, fell to his death November 10, 2016, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan,
The 40-year-old Detroit man was using a chain saw and handsaws to remove branches and vines from a large tree in a wooded area when he fell from as high as 50 feet. Emergency workers at the scene pronounced the man dead from head and neck trauma.
Three co-workers were working nearby but not in the area where the man fell. The victim was wearing safety gear when he fell, but a safety line appeared to have failed and is a likely factor in his death, according to investigators, as reported by the Detroit Free Press.
Trimmer hospitalized after suffering shock
A landscape worker screamed and appeared to lose consciousness as he hung from a palm he’d been trimming after receiving an electric shock when a palm frond hit a power line November 16, 2016, in Sanibel, Florida.
“He was still hanging in the tree, passed out,” a witness who was working down the street told WINK News. “There was really nothing much we could actually do except pray for him and pray for the fire department to come.”
The man was taken to the hospital. His condition was unknown, according to the WINK News report.
One tree worker killed, two hurt when semi truck strikes work site
Neighbors, passing motorists and co-workers helped rescue three seriously injured tree workers after a trailer truck crashed into their work site November 17, 2016, in Fitchville Township, Ohio. One of the three later succumbed to his injuries. The semi-truck driver also was injured.
The workers from Oberlander’s Tree and Landscaping, a TCIA member company based in Bucyrus, Ohio, were standing near a bucket truck and a pickup, getting ready to trim evergreens along the power lines for Firelands Cooperative Electric Co. The vehicles were parked in the northbound lanes of Ohio 13, and a flagger was in place behind the vehicles. The semi-truck driver failed to stop and struck the two vehicles and the three workers.
Neighbors rushed to help, including a tow-truck driver who pulled a tree trimmer from beneath the pickup. The Oberlander flagger helped to extinguish flames on one of her co-workers, according to a Telegraph-Forum report. The flagger was not injured.
The workers struck were Calvin Hoover, 50, of Tiffin; Ryan Niedermeier, 28, of Bucyrus; and Zachary Warner, 34, of Bucyrus. Hoover and Niedermeier sustained serious injuries. Warner sustained life-threatening injuries and later died. The semi driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Telegraph-Forum report.
Operator hurt when lift boom fails
A bucket operator trimming trees November 17, 2016, in Lowell, Massachusetts, was hurt when the boom of the lift failed, ejecting him to the ground. The piston on the lift may have become detached, dropping the bucket to the ground. The operator was conscious but was sent to the hospital with unknown injuries, according to a report in The Lowell Sun.
Man hurt helping cut trees
A man was hurt November 19, 2016, in Barrington, New Hampshire, when he was struck and pinned by a tree he was helping take down at a home.
The 60-year old man was helping others when he walked into the path of the falling tree. He suffered a fractured leg and was airlifted to Boston to be checked for possible internal injuries, according to the Foster’s Daily Democrat and seacoastonline.com report.
Worker killed in struck-by
A man was killed November 21, 2016, in Bethel Township, Pennsylvania, when he was struck by a heavy limb while felling trees.
Garth Hahn, 60, of Earl Township, Pa., owner of Hahn Firewood & Logging and described as a logging professional, was working in a wooded area along a roadway when a branch broke from a tree and struck him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Reading Eagle report.
Operator killed in fall from bucket
The owner of a tree care company fell to his death while trimming trees from a bucket truck November 22, 2016, in York County, South Carolina.
Ricky Boyd, 63, owner of Boyd & Son Tree Service, fell about 45 feet after he was ejected from the platform. He was declared dead at the scene.
It was unclear what caused the fall, but the fact that he was reported to have been catapulted from the platform suggests that he was not wearing a harness with attached lanyard, according to a report in The Vertikal Press.
Man hurt by cut tree
A 60-year-old Natick, Massachusetts, man was seriously injured November 23, 2016, in Natick when he was struck by a tree he was helping cut down.
The victim was airlifted by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital and was listed in serious condition, according to a report in The Lowell Sun.
Trimmer rescued from palm
Firefighters rescued a climber who was trapped about 50 feet up while trimming a palm in the south Los Angeles area November 25, 2016.
The man, in his 30s, was brought to safety in about a half-hour. He had become entangled in his safety harness and palm fronds. Paramedics took the man to a hospital for treatment of an arm injury, and he was in fair condition, according to a MyNewsLA.com report.
Homeowner killed after knocked from ladder
A man working on a tree in his yard November 26, 2016, in Lincoln, Nebraska, was knocked off his ladder and injured and later succumbed to his injuries.
Patrick Aden, 45, of Lincoln, was transported to Bryan West hospital following the Saturday accident. He was pronounced dead on Monday, according to a KOLN-TV report.
Climber killed when tree splits
A climber died November 28, 2016, in Head of the Harbor, New York, on Long Island, after the tree he was cutting split.
Erik Halvorsen, 45, of Setauket, owner of Norse Tree Service, was 50 feet up in the tree that he was cutting down in Avalon Park & Preserve when the trunk splintered and trapped Halvorsen against the tree. Halvorsen, who was wearing a safety harness, tried to free himself and fell 20 feet. A co-worker then lowered Halvorsen to the ground.
He was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report in Long Island Press.
According to a report given directly to TCI staff, the red oak had been damaged by wind storms. It had been a double-
stemmed tree, and half of the tree was already on the ground. The tree was 500 feet into the wooded area from the visitor parking lot, so equipment access was not possible due to the steep terrain and narrow foot trails.
The climber decided that the tree had a lean and would be simple to notch, cut and drop. He ascended into the tree and proceeded to cut a notch (face cut) that by another arborist’s account was too small, apparently failing to consider that this decades-old tree had plenty of wet wood and possibly defect in it. He anticipated that the hinge would perform as they usually do. It didn’t.
He proceeded to make the back cut. As the tree started to lift off, it split downward 9 to 10 feet. Some refer to this phenomenon as slabbing, and like barber-chair, it can occur when there’s a lot of forward-acting force.
The climber, still secured in his saddle with line still secured to the tree, was sucked into the stem, with nowhere to go.
October 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Company owner dies in fall from bucket
The owner of a tree care company died October 3, 2016, in Schoolcraft Township, south of Grand Rapids, Michigan, after being knocked from his aerial lift bucket by a cut limb.
Ronald Phillips, 49, of Three Rivers, Mich., was approximately 55 feet up in the air attempting to trim a large oak tree at a private residence. Phillips apparently tied a rope around the limb, which was approximately 6-8 inches in diameter, and tied the other end to the bucket truck/lift. While Phillips was cutting the limb, the limb split and struck the bucket, causing Phillips to fall from the bucket to the ground, according to a Michigan OSHA report.
Kalamazoo County sheriff’s investigators reported that Phillips wasn’t wearing a harness when he fell, and that he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a wbckfm.com report.
Ron Phillips ran the tree service with his family, and his father and son were trimming trees with him when he fell. Phillips’ son spent several minutes performing CPR on his dad before ambulances arrived, according to a WWMT - News Channel 3 report.
Tree worker hurt after pulled by rigging line
A tree worker was injured October 6, 2016, in Waterloo, Iowa, when the rigging line he was holding pulled him into a fence post during a tree removal. The worker was apparently holding a rope connected to a limb that was being cut. When the limb dropped, the man was flung into a nearby fence post, suffering broken bones.
Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue treated him at the scene and took him to a local hospital. The man’s condition and identity weren’t immediately available, according to a report in The Courier.
Worker killed while felling tree
A man died October 7, 2016, in Lexington Park, Maryland, when he was struck by a tree that failed while he and a co-worker were cutting it down
Vernon Freeland, 48, of Callaway, Md., was clearing up an area in the backyard of a house when the pair found a dead tree they had missed earlier.
Freeland’s employer said that Freeland was cranking a come-a-long device when the tree fell, and that Freeland ran into the path of the falling tree, according to a report in The Enterprise and on somdnews.com.
Near miss: Operator nearly pulled into stumper wheel by rope
A man operating a stump grinder was nearly pulled into the running machine October 7, 2016, in the Cleveland, Tennessee, area when he became caught in a rope that had been left near the stump he was working on.
“With all the storm response preparations going on, please keep safety as our number one priority,” wrote Aaron Jones, CTSP, and owner of Holder and Jones Tree Service of Cleveland, Tenn., in a post on TCIA’s CTSP Facebook page. “This happened to me earlier today as I was grinding a stump. The tree was one of several that had been destroyed in a storm last year and the area had been too wet to access until recently. Unfortunately, someone had discarded their rope next to the stump and it had been covered over with a few inches of dirt. Then I realized I was standing on top of it. I tried to hit the cutoff switch and missed. I dove away and it stopped me and started pulling me back.
“Luckily, my hands ended up on a large root from an adjacent tree and I was able to hang on and kick until I was free. It pulled off my shoe and left me with a rope burn on my ankle, but I didn’t have to change my name to Peg Leg Jones.
“I just wanted to share this to show what could be on any jobsite, and that’s one of the main reasons I make my people clean up our sites before we leave.”
After talking with the homeowner, Jones discovered that the homeowner had left the rope near the stump after he had cut the trees up.
“Feel free to use this for a tailgate safety session,” wrote Jones.
Worker cutting trees suffers shock
A county worker trimming trees near power lines from an aerial lift suffered electrical shock October 10, 2016, in Port Salerno, Martin County, Florida.
The 47-year-old man, a Martin County Parks and Recreation Department employee, was pruning trees in the wake of Hurricane Matthew when he was shocked and burned by the power line.
A co-worker called 911 and reported his “boss has just been electrocuted. His shirt’s on fire. He’s up in a lift, and I can’t get him down.” The caller said he couldn’t bring the lift down because he didn’t know how to do so.
The burned employee was flown to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami with traumatic injuries, but was conscious and breathing, according to a TCPalm and tcpalm.com report.
Tree worker killed when log rolls
A worker clearing tree and other debris near Ormond Beach, Florida, in the wake of Hurricane Matthew was killed October 10, 2016, when he was pinned beneath a log.
Steven Barna, 47, of Garrettsville, Ohio, was cutting a tree when a chunk of the tree rolled on top of him. A passerby spotted Barna and yelled for help.
Co-workers pulled the log off the victim and a witness tried to revive him before paramedics arrived, but he did not survive.
Barna was working for a Chagrin Falls, Ohio, tree company that sent crews to Florida to assist with Hurricane Matthew clean-up, according to The Florida Times-Union report.
Man killed when tree falls on tractor
A man was killed October 12, 2016, in North Shelby County, Tennessee, while apparently using a tractor to fell a tree.
Darrell Vanvickle, 70, of Millington, Tenn., was killed when a tree fell on the tractor he was driving. Vanvickle’s son had been working with his dad but had left for lunch. When he returned, he saw that a tree had fallen on the tractor his dad was driving.
Vanvickle quickly grabbed a chain saw and cut the tree off of his dad, but it was too late, according to a localmemphis.com report.
Trimmer electrocuted on storm cleanup
A man hired to trim trees in Deltona, Florida, after Hurricane Matthew was electrocuted by a power line October 14, 2016.
Arthur Grimes, 52, of Osteen, Fla., was on a lift working on a pine tree in a backyard when he screamed and slumped over unconscious, the residents told deputies.
They initially thought he had passed out, but when paramedics arrived and lowered the lift, it was clear that he was dead, according to an Orlando Sentinel report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man cutting trees along a trail with friends October 15, 2016, in Emmett County, Michigan, was killed when he was struck by a piece of a tree.
Myron Gray, 62, of Petoskey, Mich., was cutting trees along Emmet County’s Evergreen Trail with two friends when a part of one of the trees fell and struck Gray in the head, killing him, according to reports from Northern Michigan’s 9&10 News and The Grand Rapids Press.
Trimmer injured after being shocked
A man was injured October 17, 2016, in Malibu, California, after being shocked while trimming a tree.
The 32-year-old man was conscious and breathing when he was transported to UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. There was no further information on the man’s condition, according to the patch.com/california/malibu report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was struck and killed by a tree or part of a tree October 22, 2016, in St. Leonard, Maryland.
Ernesto “Ernie” Cendana, 63, of Great Mills, Md., was struck and killed while apparently trimming or felling the tree, or another one near it. He was pronounced deceased by EMS first responders, according to the Southern Maryland News Net report.
Worker killed by cut limb
A cut tree limb killed a worker who was helping to remove a tree October 26, 2017, in Ramsey, New Jersey.
Workers from a tree service were cutting down a tree when a limb they cut fell nearly 100 feet, striking one of the workers.
The victim’s co-workers were distraught and tried to perform CPR to save their co-worker before emergency services arrived. The man was taken to the hospital, but later died from his injuries, according to the News 12 New Jersey report.
Lift operator hurt when thrown from tipped bucket
The operator of a truck-mounted aerial lift was injured October 27, 2016, in New Cumberland, Fairview Township, Pennsylvania, when the truck tipped over and he was ejected from the bucket.
John Hall, 38, of Berwick, Pa., a tree service company employee, was 50-60 feet off the ground working in the bucket when the outrigger on the tree trimming truck sank into the ground, causing the truck to tip onto its side.
Hall was thrown from the bucket and sustained serious injuries. He was flown by Life Lion helicopter to Penn State Hershey Medical Center. The truck was parked off the roadway on a grassy area when the accident occurred, according to the WHTM ABC 27 report.
September 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man accidentally cuts off foot with chain saw
First responders were dispatched to the scene of an accidental amputation involving a chain saw September 5, 2016, in Newton, New Hampshire.
A 47-year-old man had accidentally amputated his foot with a chain saw. He was transported to the hospital by ambulance. No further details are available according to the News 9 WMUR-TV report.
City worker hurt in fall from tree
A municipal worker was hurt when he fell at least 20 feet from a tree September 14, 2016, in Jackson, Mississippi. The man was treated by responding firefighters and taken to the hospital, and may only have suffered a broken ankle, according to a WLBT and WDAM Channel 7 report.
It appeared from photos of the scene that the climber may have cut through his lanyard and wasn’t using a secondary tie-in point.
Line-clearance trimmer dies after fall
A 46-year-old tree trimmer died September 19, 2016, after he fell about 35 feet while working on a tree in Warren, Michigan. The man was cutting branches near utility power lines when he fell. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a The Macomb Daily and Detroit Free Press report.
According to information received by TCI staff, the victim was climbing on a Blake’s or tautline hitch with no stopper knot on the tail of the rope. The hitch came undone and he fell. He broke all his ribs, which cut the main artery to his heart.
Man, 75, dies in fall from tree
First responders found a 75-year-old Lawton man on the ground and unresponsive after the man apparently fell 35 feet while trimming trees September 21, 2016, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Attempts at reviving the man were made at the scene and continued while he was being driven to Bronson Hospital, according to a FOX 17 News report.
According to a Michigan OSHA report, the man subsequently died. The man had been aloft with his buck strap tied off to a branch. The branch broke, resulting in a fall of approximately 20 feet, causing fatal injuries, according to MIOSHA.
Homeowner killed by cut limb
A homeowner died September 22, 2016, in Plymouth, Wisconsin, after being struck by a limb he’d cut from a tree.
When emergency crews arrived, they found a 71-year-old man who had been struck by a tree branch that he’d been cutting following storm damage earlier in the day. Emergency crews were unable to revive him and he died at the scene, according to a WHBL radio report.
Man shocked while trimming trees
A 25-year-old man was shocked after making contact with an electrical conductor while trimming trees on a ladder September 25, 2016, in Tequesta, Florida.
Tequesta Fire Rescue crews responded to the home and began performing CPR on the man. Crews were able to regain a pulse, and he was sent to St. Mary’s Medical Center via Trauma Hawk. The man was in critical condition, according to a WPTV News Channel 5 and Palm Beach Post reports.
Addendum
The following item was received late and did not appear with the August accident briefs in the October issue of TCI.
Climber killed in apparent struck-by
A tree climber was killed August 11, 2016, while trimming a tree in Harford County, Maryland.
More than 50 rescue personnel from various agencies worked for more than four hours after the victim was pronounced dead to extricate him from the tree where he was trapped 30 feet in the air, on an embankment away from the road.
Elmer A. Galdamez, 24, of Glen Burnie, was working for a tree service that had been hired by a property owner.
The initial rescue crews sent a rescue worker in a bucket and determined Galdamez was dead.
There was a growth of vines from one tree to the other, and as a piece or pieces of the tree he was working on fell, the vines pulled the second tree down, striking Galdamez in the tree he was working on.
Initial responders found the site was unstable and presented extreme challenges. The tree was about 200 feet from the roadway, down an embankment.
An early report indicated Galdamez had been crushed by a limb, but the exact cause of death remained under investigation, according to a report in The Baltimore Sun.
Ohio climber dies from injuries suffered in July fall
The owner of a tree trimming company hurt July 27, 2016, after falling about 50-feet from a tree in Bath Township, Ohio, has died from his injuries.
As reported in the September 2016 Accident Briefs in TCI, Brian Lutheran, 36, of Medina, Ohio, and another employee were removing dead or dying trees from a residential property. Lutheran was tied off to a live tree as he leaned to work on another tree when the live tree uprooted, taking Lutheran and nearby power lines down with it, according to an Akron Beacon Journal report.
Brian Lutheran was in critical condition following the accident, but his sister, Christine Lutheran, says he died from his numerous injuries on August 14. Brian Lutheran had been a TCI Magazine subscriber.
“I found your email going through my brother’s stuff. … The police said
lightning may have stuck near the tree and weakened it from the inside. He owned his business, Premier Tree Care and Landscaping, for 14 years and had been climbing for 20 years. I thought maybe your readers would be interested in his story and may find it in their hearts to help support Brian’s 7-year-old daughter, Emily,” Christine Lutheran wrote in an email. Read more at www.gofundme.com/BrianLutheran.
August 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Tree worker falls from truck, crushed by chipper
A tree worker was killed August 3, 2016, near China Grove, North Carolina, after falling from a tree service truck and being crushed by the chipper in tow.
Employees were riding in the back of the truck. When the employees got out of the truck, then back in, one was not able to get back on before the driver began moving and fell off. The large wood chipper then rolled over the employee.
Emergency crews performed CPR on the victim for more than 30 minutes, but the victim were pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WBTV CBS report.
Worker killed by cut limb
A 25-year-old man working for a tree service company was killed August 10, 2016, in Columbia, Missouri, when a tree limb fell on him. The man was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to an ABC 17 News report.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
Fire crews rescued a tree trimmer trapped in a palm August 11, 2016, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The tree trimmer was pinned in the tree by the skirt of palm fronds that had collapsed on top of him for nearly a half an hour and was having trouble breathing. A tree and landscaping crew working nearby helped firefighters by using a boom lift to get to the worker after the heavy fronds were cut away from him.
After the fronds were lifted, he did start breathing normally. He was taken to the hospital and was reported to be doing well, according to a KSNV-TV NBC News 3 report.
Tree company owner killed by cut tree
A tree care services owner was killed August 13, 2016, in Yulee, Florida, when a pine tree he was cutting down fell on him.
Christopher “Adam” Nichols, 33, who owned Adam Nichols Outdoor Services, a landscaping and tree-trimming business, had been hired to cut down trees at a Yulee home. He was working on his last one, a tall pine tree, when it fell toward him. Witnesses said Nichols tried to get out of the way, but slipped and fell.
Three people pulled Nichols out from under the tree and tried performing CPR to save him, but Nichols died of his injuries, according to a WJXT News4Jax report.
Climber killed when caught in pull line
A climber was killed August 15, 2016, in Rose City, Michigan, after he was caught in a pull line when a piece of the tree he was cutting fell the wrong way.
The climber, 24, owner of the tree service company, had been hired to remove trees from a private residence. Equipped with climbing gear, he climbed to an approximate height of 40 feet, tied off, and began removing a portion of the tree above his head. A rope was tied to the approximately 20-foot section of the tree above him with the other end attached to a vehicle to pull it away from the house after the cut was finished.
The chain saw became pinched in the tree and the owner/operator instructed his ground worker to let some slack in the rope. At approximately the same instant, the tree snapped and fell in the opposite direction it was being pulled. With the rope still attached to the falling tree and vehicle, it caught the owner/operator, bending his body backward. The Medical Examiner determined death was the result of head trauma and massive internal injuries, according to a Michigan OSHA report.
Emergency personnel had waited on scene for a bucket truck to arrive from West Branch Department of Public Works to assist in bringing the worker, from Lupton, Mich., down from the tree so they could assess his condition, according to an
Ogemaw County Herald report.
Operator hurt in fall from bucket
A bucket operator trimming a tree August 16, 2016, in Norton Shores, Michigan, fell 30 to 40 feet to the ground after the bucket he was in apparently malfunctioned.
The man was taken to a local hospital with unspecified injuries. The man was conscious after the fall, according to the WZZM-TV ABC Channel 13 report.
Man survives 60-foot fall from tree
A man was seriously injured after falling 60 feet to the ground from a tree August 17, 2016, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Philip Fetters, 27, of Fort Wayne, who had done tree work in the past, was trying to cut down a dead tree for a friend when a branch he was leaning on broke.
He hit a branch on the way down and it snapped his femur but may have ultimately saved his life, Fetters told WANE. “It slowed me down enough that when I hit on impact I didn’t die.”
The fall shattered his right femur and caused him to break his left arm, pelvis and several ribs. He spent 10 days in the hospital and will be bedridden for the next few months.
Doctors told him it will likely take him four to six months before he can start learning to walk again, according to the WANE report.
Man critically hurt in struck-by
A 20-year-old man was in critical condition after he was struck by a cut tree branch August 17, 2016, in Lincoln, Nebraska.
A homeowner was trying to cut down a tree in his front yard. The man’s brother was helping him when a branch came down and struck one of the men in the head.
Rescue crews took the victim to a Lincoln hospital, according to a KETV channel 7 report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man died August 19, 2016, in Crosslake, Minnesota, while cutting down a tree at his home. Police responded to a report of an injury related to tree cutting. Paramedics pronounced Richard Becker, 76, dead at the scene.
Becker’s wife, Phyllis, had called 911 after finding her husband lying unresponsive next to a tree he had just cut down. Upon arrival, a police officer found a neighbor performing CPR on Becker. The officer continued CPR until first responders arrived and took over.
There had been a wedge cut out of the tree to make it fall in a certain direction, but it appeared the tree fell in the opposite direction, according to a Brainerd Dispatch report.
Tree worker hurt by flying debris
A tree worker was hurt while cleaning up debris following a tornado August 22, 2016, in Concord, Massachusetts.
The worker, who was doing private work for a homeowner, suffered lacerations to his face when parts of a tree shot out of a wood chipper. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to a WBZ Channel 4 report.
Pedestrian hit by cut tree limb
A man suffered serious injuries after he was struck by a falling tree limb August 23, 2016, in Brookline, Massachusetts. A landscaping company was hired to cut down a tree in an alley. The man was walking by when the limb fell. The limb that injured the man was a foot in diameter and two and a half feet long.
The victim, 29, was rushed to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
The incident was under investigation, according to a WCVB-TV Channel 5 report.
Climber hurt in fall with broken limb
A climber was hurt August 24, 2016, in Buffalo, New York, when the branch supporting him snapped, pinning him when he and the branch struck the roof below.
The worker was trimming a tree over the rear of an apartment building when the limb he was hanging from snapped and he and the limb tumbled to the edge of the roof below. The limb pinned him to the roof.
Firefighters used the bucket of a ladder truck to reach the man and provide emergency medical care. Firefighters then muscled the limb off the man, secured him in a Stokes basket and lowered him in the bucket to the ground.
The man, who was harnessed, was in pain from possible lower-leg fractures.
The limb of the silver maple tree was estimated at 14 inches in diameter and 5 feet long, according to The Buffalo News report.
Homeowner pinned, hurt by cut tree
A man was injured August 24, 2016, in Mount Olive, New Jersey, when a tree he was cutting fell on top of him, keeping him stuck underneath for almost 10 hours.
The man, 63, of Budd Lake, N.J., was taken to Morristown Medical Center for treatment.
At about 10 p.m., responding police met with the victim’s son, who guided them to the remote location on the residential property where the incident occurred. An investigation revealed that at about noon on Wednesday, the man was attempting to cut a tree with a chain saw when the tree snapped and fell onto him. He was not found until that evening. The man’s condition was not immediately available, according to The New Jersey Herald report.
July 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Owner crashes heavy crane truck
A tree service company owner was injured July 1, 2016, in North Harmony, New York, after crashing a crane into a utility pole.
Jason Selig, 46, of Brockton, N.Y., was reportedly traveling in a reckless manner and failed to negotiate a curve, struck a utility police and rolled the vehicle onto its side. He was reportedly ejected from the vehicle. He was treated at the scene and later transported to Hamot Medical Center in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he was in stable condition. Charges were pending, according to an Observer Today report.
Teen hurt in struck-by
A 17-year-old high school student was hurt when a cut tree struck him in the head July 3, 2016, in Napoleon Township, Michigan,
Matthew Prestin was hit by the tree being cut down at his home by his father. The tree, about 10 inches in diameter, bounced off another tree and ricocheted into the boy’s head when it fell.
The teen was airlifted to the University of Michigan Medical Center following the incident. He lost five teeth and required facial reconstructive surgery, but was home recovering the next day, according to a Jackson Citizen Patriot report.
Trapped climber suffocates
An injured climber died while trapped about 70 feet in the air July 4, 2016, in Oconee County, South Carolina.
David Wayne Vaughn, 57, of Walhalla, S.C., who was self-employed and working alone at a residential property, had cut upper branches and limbs on the tree he was trimming when his leg became trapped in the fork of the tree.
The property owner told authorities that Vaughn worked for about an hour to free himself. Vaughn managed to remove his climbing spikes and eventually free his leg, and then planned to lower himself on his rope. But Vaughn appeared to become disoriented and then became unresponsive. The property owner called 911.
Emergency workers found Vaughn still suspended by his safety harness and rope about 70 feet in the air. Vaughn was lowered by rescue workers and found to be dead.
The local coroner said a minor head injury, probably from a falling limb, along with dehydration affected Vaughn’s ability to rescue himself. Vaughn’s body arched back into a slightly inverted position, compromising his ability to breathe. Following an autopsy, the coroner listed the cause of death as positional asphyxiation, according to the Independent Mail report.
Ground worker struck by car
A ground worker directing traffic at a work zone on a municipal road for a tree crew was struck by a car and injured July 6, 2016, in Fort Myers, Florida.
Hector Pualino Ortiz Gonzalez, 45, of Lehigh Acres, Fla., was working as a flagger when he was struck by a Toyota Camry while standing in the center of the eastbound lane of the road. The Toyota attempted to avoid Gonzalez by swerving to the left, but was unable to avoid the collision. The operator apparently told the Florida Highway Patrol he was looking at his radio prior to the collision.
Gonzalez was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital with serious injuries. The driver, who was not injured in the accident, was charged with careless driving, according to a Fort Myers Beach Bulletin and Fort Myers Beach Observer report.
Climber hurt in fall
A climber working for a local tree service was seriously injured July 7, 2016, when he apparently fell 40 to 50 feet from a sweetgum tree near Decatur, Georgia.
Evan Davis was ascending a single line with a Wraptor powered rope-ascender when the sweetgum branch the rope was over broke at the crotch. The ground crew was cleaning up and didn’t see him fall.
Davis was at Atlanta Medical Center still being evaluated for numbness in his lower body more than a week after the fall, according to information provided by the Georgia Arborist Association. A GoFundMe site has been set up in his name: www.gofundme.com/evandavisclimber.
Man found dead after logging accident
A man died July 11, 2016, in Volney, New York, after a branch fell and struck him while he cut down large oak trees.
Shane D. Moore, 54, of Volney, was on a jobsite about 1-1/2 miles in the woods when the accident happened.
Another man helping him log the property had gone to get a log skidder while Moore used a chain saw to continue cutting down large oak trees. When the second man returned, he found Moore unconscious and on the ground, and the second man called Oswego County 911.
Troopers and other first responders performed CPR, but Moore was pronounced dead at the scene. Moore was not working for a company, but instead this was a side job, according to a report in The Post-Standard.
Sent in by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist with the National Grid-Distribution Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y.
One worker dies, second injured after contact with wires
One of two tree trimmers shocked in south Tampa by a power line on July 12, 2016, subsequently died. Alfredo Jimenez, 32, died July 19. He suffered third-degree burns in the electrocution. The other tree trimmer remained in an intensive care unit.
The two men worked for a landscape company and were trimming palm fronds in front of a house when a ladder fell onto the power lines. It was not known if both victims were on the ladder or if one victim was on the ladder and the other was holding it.
No one witnessed the incident. A neighbor saw a flash of light and two men on the ground. Neighbors ran to the injured men and gave them CPR before emergency crews transported the two patients to Tampa General Hospital, according to Tampa Bay Times and WFLA-TV reports.
Operator dies in fall from lift
A tree worker fell to his death from the bucket of an aerial lift July 15, 2016, while cutting down trees in Lindenhurst, New York. Oscar Martinez, 35, of Brentwood, N.Y., was rushed to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to News 12 Long Island Live and patch.com reports.
Landscaper electrocuted, second hurt
One person was electrocuted and one was injured while working with a private landscaping company July 15, 2016, in Piney Flats, Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Workers were trimming trees for a homeowner when an employee made contact with a live electrical line. The employee who made contact with the line was killed and another employee received minor injuries, according to a WJHL-TV report.
Man hurt cutting limbs
A man was injured July 18, 2016, in South Pittsburg, Tennessee, while cutting a tree alongside a highway.
The man was cutting trees on a steep grade when either he fell or the tree he was cutting fell and struck him, or both; it was unclear from the report.
The man suffered a cut to his head and possible broken bones. He lost consciousness at some point and told emergency crews he didn’t remember how the accident happened.
The South Pittsburg Volunteer Fire Department says he was alert and sitting on a tree stump when they arrived. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance along with his wife, who fell trying to help him and injured herself, according to the WTVC News Channel 9 report.
Maine climber survives 60-foot fall
A 58-year-old man survived a 60-foot fall from an oak tree July 21, 2016, in South Bristol, Maine.
The man, whose name was not available, fell while trimming a tree. The man reportedly fell feet-first into a pile of pine needles, which cushioned his fall.
The man was conscious and alert when emergency responders arrived. He indicated he had rib pain on both sides of his body, however, he did not report any leg pain. He was taken by ambulance to LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta, according to the Bangor Daily News report.
Trimmer dies after fall off ladder
A tree trimmer died after falling off a ladder while trimming a large palm July 22, 2016, in Ormond Beach, Florida.
Thurman Hull, 57, who worked for a local tree service, was pronounced dead at the scene.
While on the ladder, Hull apparently had difficulty with his safety harness and unhooked it from the ladder, causing the ladder to twist and Hull to fall. There were several witnesses to the accident, according to the WKMG-TV News 6 report.
Ground worker dies from heat
A grounds crew member died after overheating July 22, 2016, while flagging traffic, chipping limbs and stacking brush near Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
Tyler Halsey, 23, of Dexter, Mo., became overheated at around 4:30 p.m. when the heat index reached about 110 degrees. He had been in the heat since his shift started at around 7 a.m. He was hospitalized with a core temperature of more than 108 degrees and died the next day.
Halsey died on his fourth day on the job for the tree service company. His friend got him the job.
He was part of a three-man crew trimming trees along overhead power lines.
He apparently had a jug and had been drinking water, but may have been tired because he wasn’t used to the work.
A review of heat-related deaths revealed the majority of workers had just started the job, and frequently it was their first day on the job and the workers were not acclimated to the constant exposure to the heat and sun, according to an OSHA spokesperson, as quoted in the NewsWest 9 KWES-TV report.
Worker dies in struck-by
A West Virginia Division of Highways worker died July 25, 2016, after a cut tree fell on him along a road in New Haven, West Virginia.
Steven Lloyd Oldaker, 52, of Letart, W.Va., had been employed with the DOH for five years, according to a WSAZ report.
Man dies after being trapped in palm
A trimmer suffocated after being trapped in palm fronds he’d just cut while trimming a palm July 26, 2016, in Yuma Arizona.
Firefighters responded to assist Yuma, police officers with a check of an unresponsive man high up in a palm. Firefighters started a technical rescue, using ropes, ladders, harnesses and other equipment, initially climbing the palm tree to get to the man’s location. Once firefighters got to him, the man appeared to be unconscious, hanging by his safety harness underneath thick palm fronds, and at risk of falling.
Firefighters used an aerial ladder truck to cut the palm fronds away so they could bring the victim back down to the ground. Once on the ground, firefighters assessed the man’s condition and determined he was dead. First responders were unsure how long the man had been trapped in the palm, according to the Yuma Sun report.
Man found dead after 30-foot fall from palm
A man died after falling 30 feet from a palm July 27, 2016, in Phoenix, Arizona.
First responders found the man already dead when they arrived. It appeared he’d been trimming the palm when he’d apparently fallen and landed on his head, according to an ABC15 Arizona report.
Company owner critical in fall with tree
The owner of a tree trimming company was in critical condition after falling about 50-feet from a tree July 27, 2016, in Bath Township, Ohio.
Brian Lutheran, 36, of Medina, Ohio, and another employee were removing dead and dying trees from a residential property. Lutheran was tied off to a live tree as he leaned to work on another tree when the live tree uprooted, taking Lutheran and nearby power lines down with it, according to an Akron Beacon Journal report.
Operator dies in fall from bucket
An aerial lift operator trimming trees died July 28, 2016, in Troutville, Virginia, after falling 30 feet to the ground.
The crew was trimming trees that were damaged a day earlier by lightning when the lift operator fell. The victim was pinned under several logs that fell on top of him, according to a WDBJ Channel 7 report.
Climber dies after cut with chain saw
A climber died July 29, 2016, in Fair Oaks, California, after cutting himself with his chain saw while tied in 40 to 50 feet up in a tree.
When first responders arrived on the scene, they saw a large pool of blood below the man. The first engine that showed up couldn’t reach the man, so a truck with an aerial ladder was called in to help. The man had no pulse when they reached him and he was brought back down to the ground, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The man was apparently working with the chain saw when a branch fell, causing the chain saw to come toward him and cut him, according to a CBS13 report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner died July 31, 2016, in Lakeville, Minnesota, after a tree he had just cut knocked him off the ladder he was using and then fell on top of him.
Joseph James Frazee, 29, and a friend were cutting down the tree in his front yard. The tree fell the wrong way, landing on top of Frazee and pinning him. Six neighbors/first responders were able to lift the tree off of Frazee, and first responders tried to revive him, but he died at the scene, according to Fox 9 and WCCO 4 News reports
June 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Worker shocked by power line
A tree worker was treated and released from the hospital after suffering a shock June 1, 2016, in West Palm Beach, Florida. A tree care service crew was trimming power lines in a mobile home park when a bucket operator apparently cut a limb or tree top that fell into the power line.
A second worker in the bucket apparently received a shock and jumped out of or off of the truck and was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, according to a WPBF 25 News report, but he was not seriously hurt. The bucket operator waited in the bucket an hour for Florida Power & Light to cut power. That worker was treated on site for symptoms of heat illness, according to the WPBF 25 report.
Golf course worker hurt by cut tree
A golf course maintenance worker was hospitalized after he was injured by a cut tree June 1, 2016, in Fort Dodge, Iowa.
The man was cutting down the tree and it struck him as it fell, according to The Messenger and KCCI Channel 8 reports.
Operator hurt when bucket truck tips
A bucket operator was injured when his truck tipped over June 3, 2016, in Elizabethton, Carver County, Tennessee.
First responders found the 2013 Ford 750 bucket truck had turned onto its passenger side and was angled down a hill. Greg L. Carver, 39, of Jonesborough, was lying unconscious and still strapped inside the bucket. Responders released Carver from the straps. He was transported to Johnson City Medical Center, where he was listed in serious condition.
Carver’s co-worker told a sheriff’s deputy that Carver had positioned the truck and placed the outriggers, and that the truck was in a stationary position while Carver cut limbs out of trees. Then the ground began giving way, causing the truck to fall on its side with Carver still in the bucket, which he said was extended to 70 feet. The co-worker called 911.
Electrical wires had been knocked down in the accident, but the wires were not electrified because a circuit breaker had tripped, according to the Johnson City Press report.
Bucket operator hurt when boom fails
A bucket truck operator for a private tree-trimming service was seriously injured June 7, 2016, in Dunn, Wisconsin, after the boom apparently failed and he fell 75 feet to the ground.
An initial investigation showed the arm of the bucket truck was fully extended when it broke off near the truck end for unknown reasons, causing the arm and the bucket, with the man inside it, to fall to the ground, apparently knocking the man unconscious. As it fell, the bucket also took down power lines, but there was no evidence the operator was electrocuted.
When first responders arrived, the man, 50, from Albany, Wisc., was unconscious and without a pulse. Rescue personnel used a defibrillator to restore his pulse, and he was breathing when a medical helicopter took him to UW Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report.
TCI notification by Peter Kaseman-Wold, owner of Goodland Tree Works, Inc., in Madison, Wisc.
Operator injured in fall after lift
malfunction
The owner of a tree service company received minor injuries June 15, 2016, in Felsenthal, Arkansas, when a boom failed on his aerial lift, dropping him 30 to 40 feet to the ground.
Howard Cupp Jr., 48, was working on a storm-damaged tree that had fallen into a house. He had finished clearing the portion of the tree that was outside the house and had called for another boom truck to remove a large section of the tree that had fallen inside the house. Cupp was in the bucket on the boom truck and was moving the boom back into its park position when the boom failed.
“He was going back to rack the boom, to raise it up, and he heard a pop. A pin backed out of the hydraulic cylinder in the lower part of the boom, and it caused the boom to fall freely. He basically just rode it down,” his cousin, a co-owner, told the El Dorado News-Times.
The boom struck an outdoor storage building on the way down, slowing the drop somewhat, and once he hit the ground, Cupp rolled out of the bucket and into a muddy hole left by recent rains.
Cupp was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, and initial reports were that he did not appear to have suffered any internal injuries. Manufacturer’s reps were looking at the truck to try and determine the cause of the failure. The truck was inspected and certified by the manufacturer less than a year before the accident, according to the El Dorado News-Times report.
Lift operator suffers shock
An aerial lift operator suffered a shock when his saw touched a power line while trimming trees June 17, 2016, in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The man, 25, was working for a local tree-trimming service when his saw hit the 7,200-volt line. The man remained conscious the entire time but suffered significant electrocution injuries, including entrance and exit wounds and burns, forcing him to be flown by Bayflite to the burn facility at Tampa General Hospital, according to a Tampa Bay Times report.
Despite his injuries, the man was able to lower the lift down for responders to remove him from the platform bucket, according to the Times report.
Man killed helping neighbor with tree
A teacher and coach was killed June 18, 2016, in Ireton, Iowa, after being hit by a tree branch while helping a neighbor clean up from a recent storm. Christopher Soppe, 49, of Ireton, was struck while cutting down a tree. He was transported to a hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to a WHO-HD Channel 13 report.
Worker electrocuted in tree
A landscape worker was electrocuted after he came in contact with power lines while trimming a tree June 19, 2016, in Commack, New York. Oscar Diaz, 39, of Brentwood, was working in a tree in the front yard of a home when he was electrocuted. Diaz was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a patch.com/new-york report.
Line-clearance worker hurt in fall
A line worker suffered injuries in a fall while working in a remote area along a power-line right of way June 20, 2016, in Port Republic, Maryland.
The accident occurred one to two miles off the road under the power lines. A technical rescue for a medium-angle rescue was requested because the victim was apparently down a hill. A decision was made to conduct an aerial hoist of the injured man using a helicopter.
Once the patient was raised to the top of the hill and on flat land, flight medics stabilized him before he was transported by a second helicopter to a shock trauma center. It appeared that his injuries were significant, according to a thebaynet.com report.
Man hurt by cut tree
A man was injured June 20, 2016, in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, after being struck and pinned by a tree he’d been cutting down.
The man, 67, from Marathon County, was trying to cut a tree at a hunting cabin when the tree fell in the wrong direction, pinning the man to the ground. Two friends were able to free the victim, who was airlifted to Wausau. An update on the man’s condition was not immediately provided, according to a Northwoods Radio WJJQ 92.5 FM report.
Operator dies after knocked from bucket
A tree trimmer was killed after being knocked from his aerial lift bucket by a cut tree June 22, 2016, in Pavo, Georgia.
Adam Woodard, 44, was cutting a tree down at a home around 9 p.m. when the tree fell on the bucket he was in, causing him to fall to the ground.
“It was dark. Basically I don’t think it’s a good idea to be cutting trees down at nine o’clock at night,” J.B. Wheeler, of the Brooks County Sheriff’s Office, told WALB News 10.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, but paramedics found the man was already dead from head injuries, according to the WALB News 10 report.
Bucket operator electrocuted
An aerial-lift operator died after coming into contact with a power line while trimming trees June 29, 2016, in Alamosa, Colorado. Angelo Duarte, 39, of Alamosa, was taken to an Alamosa hospital where he later died, according to a report from The Pueblo Chieftain and the Valley Courier.
May 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Worker killed while limbing felled tree
A worker was killed May 4, 2016, in Bear Valley Springs, California, near San Bernardino, while limbing a felled tree.
The tree was down and its branches were being cut off when the tree shifted and crushed the worker against a rock. The Kern County Fire Department brought in heavy equipment to help remove the body of the victim.
The man was working for a tree service that was a subcontractor for Southern Cal Edison, clearing dead trees due to the drought. The 26-year-old victim’s identity was not immediately released, according to a Tehachapi News report.
Worker killed in chipper or grinder
A tree worker was killed May 4, 2016, in Guilderland, New York, after being pulled into a wood chipper during his first day on the job.
The victim, Justus Booze, 23, of Schenectady, had no prior training and no background in the tree care industry.
The tree care crew from a Guilderland company was removing large trees at a residence when the accident occurred. Other employees were present, but Booze’s death was not witnessed.
Booze was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Times Union report.
Man killed while trimming tree with chain saw
A man was killed while trimming a tree at his home in Gates, New York, May 10, 2016. Danny Baierschmitt, 59, suffered a head injury while cutting a branch in his backyard. Crews responding found that the man had died.
Baierschmitt was off the ground using a chain saw to cut a branch, but police aren’t sure exactly how high up he was, according to a WHECTV report.
Sent in by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist with the National Grid-Distribution Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y.
Tree worker shocked cleaning gutters
A tree worker was hospitalized in fair condition after he received a severe electrical shock while cleaning rain gutters in Salt Lake City, Utah, May 10, 2016. The 27-year-old man was injured when one of the gutters came into contact with a live power line, according to a Gephardt Daily report.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A municipal tree department employee was injured when he was hit by a cut tree branch May 11, 2016, in Rantoul, Illinois.
Curt Kelley was part of a crew trimming a dead oak tree when a branch hit him in the back and shoulder area. He was hospitalized in good condition about 90 minutes after the accident, according to the Rantoul Press.
Tree worker killed by company truck
A tree worker died after being hit by a company truck in Forest, in Bedford County, Virginia, May 13, 2016. Henry Loving, 67, of Litchford, was part of a crew working on private property when the accident occurred, according to a report in The News & Advance.
Teen killed in stump grinder accident
An 18-year-old tree worker died May 14, 2016, in Hartford City, Indiana, in an accident involving a stump grinder.
The teen, from Yorktown, Ind., was apparently helping his uncle on a tree removal job at a private residence. The uncle owns a local tree service company.
The teen was reportedly positioning the grinder over a stump when he somehow became entangled in the machine. Investigators are looking into whether some of his clothing may have come in contact with the spinning grinder.
He suffered multiple traumatic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a CBS4 WTTV-TV report.
A report in The Star Press identified the victim as Cody Bronnenberg. That report said Bronnenberg may have stumbled while moving logs and fell into the grinder being operated by his uncle. It also stated that first responders found the victim already deceased and still tangled in the stump grinder, having suffered multiple traumatic injuries.
Man stabs tree worker
A landscaper cutting down a tree in a backyard in Queens, New York, was stabbed by a neighbor, May 17, 2016.
The victim, part of a larger landscaping crew called to cut down the 40-foot tree at a home, had just started working at the home when an angry next-door neighbor attacked.
The 33-year-old victim was taken to the hospital after the stabbing and was expected to survive a stab wound to the back.
The neighbor and one of his family were both arrested on assault charges at the scene, according to a WNBC-TV report.
Tree worker electrocuted
A tree worker was killed while trimming trees May 24, 2016, in New Holstein, Wisconsin.
Micah Gifford, 25, of Greenleaf, Wisc., a tree care company employee, was trimming a tree on private property when a branch came in contact with a power line.
Gifford was found unconscious and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WBAY-TV ABC 2 report.
Climber hurt in fall
A climber was injured May 26, 2016, in Cambria, California, when he fell about 25 feet from a tree he was trimming. Apparently, one piece of safety equipment failed.
Blair McCormick, 64, of Cambria, suffered a dislocated right shoulder and three cracks in his pelvis. He was taken by helicopter to Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, where he was treated, including having screws installed in his pelvis, according to a report in The Tribune.
April 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man was killed April 5, 2016, while cutting down a tree on his property in Potosi, Wisconsin.
Daniel J. Woolfe, 63, was cutting a tree on his property when it split, twisted and fell on him, coming to rest on his chest. A responding sheriff’s deputy cut the tree away with Woolfe’s chain saw and began rendering aid. A medical flight was requested, but the AirCare medical team evaluated Woolfe at the scene and they were unable to revive him, according to the WISC-TV Channel 3 report.
Landscape worker killed in struck-by
A worker for a local lawn care company died April 7, 2016, after he was hit by a falling tree limb while working in North Augusta, South Carolina.
The employees were using a ladder and deer stand as workers tried to remove a giant oak tree from the property. Apparently a rope snapped, and the worker was hit by a falling limb.
A tree care company was called in to assist with the rescue.
The worker’s name had not yet been released, according to the WFXG FOX 54 report.
Tree worker dies after 50-foot fall
A worker for a local tree and landscape company died April 7, 2016, after falling 50 feet from an aerial lift bucket in Leominster, Massachusetts.
Worker Nick Kallio, 26, was removing a large tree at a residence. Kallio apparently shouted to the homeowner to say “goodbye” to a large limb he was about to cut, and began to saw it. When the branch fell, it bounced back off another tree, hitting the bucket and knocking Kallio out of it.
Kallio was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to a WCVB-TV 5 report.
Man killed helping fell tree
A man was killed April 9, 2016, by a tree he was helping cut down in or near Rochester, Indiana.
Carl Andrew Richard, 55, of Rochester, and two other men were cutting the tree down on a farm outside of town, and he was unable to get out of the way of the tree as it fell and was struck by one of its limbs. Richard died from blunt-force trauma to the head, according to WSBT-TV and WNDU Channel 16 reports.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
A tree trimmer who got stuck in a palm in Phoenix, Arizona, April 9, 2016, was rescued by an off-duty Phoenix firefighter.
The trimmer was trapped after fronds sloughed off the palm and the weight of the frond skirt began suffocating him. Fire Department Capt. Joey Gonzales was a couple of houses down when he saw the man in distress and scaled a few walls to reach the scene. He used a ladder to get up and remove some fronds and help the man get safely down.
The landscaper was taken to the hospital and was expected to be OK, according to KPHO CBS 5 and Associated Press reports.
Tree trimmer injured in fall
A tree trimmer was injured in a fall April 14, 2016, in Middle River, Maryland.
Paramedics responding to a call found that the tree trimmer had suffered a long fall. The man was transported to a hospital for treatment, but no further details on the fall or his condition were available, according to the NottinghamMD.com report.
Man injured in chipper accident
A man was injured in a wood-chipping accident April 14, 2016, in Monkton, Maryland. The victim was taken by medevac to a trauma center, but the man’s condition or extent of injuries were not available, according to the WBAL NewsRadio 1090 report.
Worker killed in struck-by
A worker for a landscaping and tree-cutting service died after being struck by part of a tree being cut April 16, 2016, in Dolton, Illinois.
Romero Tirado, 20, of Hammond, Indiana, was working for a company that had been retained by a homeowner to cut down a tree. A section of the tree being cut by another employee apparently fell and struck Tirado, who was standing on a sidewalk.
Tirado was pronounced dead at a Hammond hospital shortly after the incident, according to reports from The (Munster) Times and WRTV Channel 6.
Tree trimmer electrocuted
A tree trimmer working for a line-clearance tree trimming company was electrocuted April 18, 2016, in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Witnesses reportedly told police that Justin Miller, 23, of Perry County, Ky., somehow made contact with a power line while cutting tree limbs. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in the Roanoke Times, in Roanoke, Virginia.
Firefighters rescue man stuck in palm
Firefighters rescued a man who became stuck 30 to 40 feet up in a palm April 20, 2016, in Avondale, Arizona.
The trimmer called 911 after his gear malfunctioned and he couldn’t get down on his own. Fire crews used a ladder truck to help the man to the ground. The man was not injured, according to the report in The Arizona Republic.
Man killed by cut tree
A man died April 20, 2016, in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, after being struck by a tree he was cutting down.
Gary Arnold, 37, of Soddy Daisy, Tenn., was cutting a 50-foot-tall tree at a home when the tree split and struck him. He died as a result of blunt-force trauma.
Arnold did not live at the home where he was working, according to the WRCB-TV Channel 3 report.
Another report said Arnold was sitting under the tree cutting it, when it fell back onto him.
Climber dies in fall with tree top
A climber died after falling more than 30 feet with a portion of a tree he was felling April 21, 2016, in Sequim, Washington.
Lyle Lyster, 41, owner of a Port Angeles, Wash., tree service, was wearing spurs and was fully dug into the tree about 30 feet up when it fell, taking him down with it.
A safety compliance officer with the state Department of Labor and Industries said equipment used incorrectly contributed to Lyster’s death.
Lyster was using a Port-a-Wrap to lower cut branches to the ground. The compliance officer told the Peninsula Daily News that the Port-a-Wrap should have been tied to the base of the tree but instead was tied off on a pickup truck, adding that tying it to a truck put too much sideways pressure on the tree and caused it to fall.
Lyster had two unidentified helpers working with him on the ground, cutting up the tree chunks and feeding them into a chipper. Lyster was wearing a helmet with eye protection and earmuffs and his assistants were also wearing headgear.
He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Peninsula Daily News report.
Stranded trimmer rescued by firefighters
A man cutting down a large tree April 29, 2016, in Bastrop, Louisiana, became trapped in the tree after a piece he’d cut struck the ladder he was using, leaving him no way to get down.
Terry Don Ricks, a private tree trimmer, was removing the tree for a friend and had most of the lower branches cut when an errant limb struck his ladder, breaking it in half and dropping it to the ground. Ricks was left dangling from his safety harness with no way down from the top of the tree.
The firefighters used the bucket on the department’s ladder truck to reach Ricks and bring him down safely, according to a Bastrop Daily Enterprise report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed April 29, 2016, while cutting a tree in Lysander, New York, near Syracuse. Scott Freeman, 55, of Hannibal, N.Y., was cutting down trees deep in a wooded area behind a residence when one of the trees fell on him.
Freeman, who suffered a traumatic injury, was alone at the time of incident, and he was not found for several hours, according to a report in The Post-Standard.
Sent in by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist with the National Grid-Distribution Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed April 30, 2016, in Peru, Maine, when a tree he was cutting fell on him.
Stephen Fuller, 63, of Peru, was cutting down a tree on his property when the tree fell on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Portland Press Herald report.
March 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Town employee hurt by cut tree
A town employee was injured March 1, 2016, while clearing trees from the Dennis Pines Golf Course in Dennis, Massachusetts, after a felled tree rolled onto his leg.
Chris Call, a heavy equipment operator crew leader, was helping cut down an oak tree that bounced and rolled into his leg. He was taken to Cape Cod Hospital, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, according to a Cape Cod Times report.
Lift operator hurt when truck tips
An aerial lift operator fell 50 feet with the bucket after his truck overturned March 8, 2016, in Elyria, Ohio.
Troy Sweeney, 32, was in the bucket trimming trees along a roadway when the incident occurred. Sweeney was taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center by ambulance and then flown to Metro Health. At the scene he was alert and conscious, and complained of back, arm and leg pain and possibly had a broken leg.
Elyria fire assistant chief Joe Pronesti told The Chronicle-Telegram the outcome could have been worse. “He’s very lucky,” Pronesti said. “He was strapped in and rode the bucket all the way down to the ground.”
It is believed the truck overturned because the outriggers sank into muddy ground along the curb, according to the report in The Chronicle-Telegram.
Women hurt when cut limb strikes car
A woman was injured when a large tree branch cut by her neighbor fell on her SUV March 10, 2016, in Omaha, Nebraska.
The woman was blocks from home in her vehicle when it was hit by the tree limb. The impact shattered part of the windshield and left her with a head injury and neck pain, though she didn’t go to the hospital.
No one has been cited in the incident, according to a KETV ABC 7 report.
Man killed by cut tree
A construction worker died March 10, 2016, after he was hit by a cut tree in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
Construction workers were removing trees from a work site when a tree fell on one of the workers. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WUSA Channel 9 report.
Two lift operators electrocuted
Two tree workers were killed March 12, 2016, in Thermal, in Riverside County, California, when the compact lift they were using to trim palms made contact with power lines and caught fire. The lift was apparently leaking oil, which resulted in the fire.
The two victims died at the scene, according to a KTLA-TV report.
Homeowner dies cutting trees
A man died after being hit by part of a tree he was attempting to trim on or about March 12, 2016, in Union City, Pennsylvania. Donald Patchen, 78, was apparently struck and killed by one of the trees he was trimming.
Relatives of Patchen became concerned when they were unable to get in touch with him between midday March 9 through midday March 12 and contacted police. Patchen was discovered on his property where he’d been working.
He was pronounced dead at the scene from blunt-force trauma from a tree striking him, according to a Titusville Herald report.
Operator dies when knocked from lift
An aerial lift operator for the city was killed March 14, 2016, in Atlanta, Georgia, when a portion of a tree he’d cut struck him and the lift’s bucket, apparently knocking him from the bucket to the ground. He died on the scene.
Donald Rembert had worked for the City of Atlanta for 29 years, most recently with the forestry team in the Department of Parks and Recreation. He was only a few months away from retirement, according to a report in The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution.
Climber rescued from palm fronds
A climber was rescued after being trapped by a palm skirt while trimming fronds March 16, 2016, in Cupertino, California. The tree worker was removed from the palm and treated by firefighters and EMS personnel before being taken to a local hospital, according to a patch.com report.
Climber dies in fall
A climber died March 19, 2016, two days after falling from a tree while working in Tuxedo Park, New York.
Lincoln Colwell, 54, was a well-known and well-respected arborist in the Palisades, and reportedly worked for many celebrities in the area, including hanging holiday lights for actor Bill Murray, according to a report on lohud.com.
He died of blunt-force injury to the body, multiple skull fractures and contusions to the brain, according to a report to TCIA staff, but few details were available on the circumstances around the accident. One report to TCIA staff was that Colwell unclipped to move in the tree and fell.
Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist with National Grid-Distribution Forestry, in Syracuse, New York, alerted us to this item.
Man dies after large tree rolls
A homeowner died March 18, 2016, in Alto, Kent County, Michigan, after a large tree he’d cut rolled onto him. Frank Bouwens, 59, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Bouwens and another man had reportedly been working a couple of days to get the tree outside Bouwens’ home down. The tree was on the ground when the trunk rolled on top of him while he worked on cutting it up with a chain saw.
The friend who was helping was busy stacking wood when the accident occurred. He found Bouwens pinned under the tree trunk and unresponsive. Firefighters used inflatable air bags to lift the tree from the victim, according to reports from The Grand Rapids Press and mlive.com.
Lift operator electrocuted, helper burned
A longtime tree trimmer was electrocuted and another man was injured after making contact with power lines March 21, 2016, near Brazil, Indiana.
Don Skelton, 54, of Brazil, died of electrocution. Andrew Smith was transported by helicopter to Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis, where he was listed in fair condition in the burn unit.
Skelton was working for himself – Don Skelton Tree Service – operating a bucket truck when the accident occurred. Skelton and Smith were clearing trees on private property when Skelton’s hand apparently came into contact with a power line. It was unclear from the Tribune-Star report whether Smith made contact with the conductor.
Operator dies when knocked from bucket
A tree care company owner died in a fall from an aerial lift bucket March 21, 2016, in New Baltimore, Michigan.
Dan Millville, owner of Dan Milleville’s Tree Service in New Baltimore, was working without fall protection, according to a source, when he attempted to remove a 30-foot leader from an elm. He apparently snubbed it off with a lanyard or short rope to his bucket.
It shock-loaded the bucket, which caused the lift to fail, and he fell about 35 feet onto some sort of paved surface, according to a report directly to TCIA staff.
Climber hurt in 60-foot fall
A climber suffered potentially life-threatening injuries when he fell 60 feet March 22, 2016, in Hudson, New Hampshire.
The 47-year-old worker was climbing to cut the top out of the tree, which was to then be lifted by a crane. The climber was near the top of the large pine tree when he fell to the ground.
He was taken by ambulance to the Nottingham West Elementary School, and from there was flown by helicopter to Boston with serious injuries, according to a Lowell Sun report.
Man dies after tree falls on excavator
A 62-year-old man died March 22, 2016, after a large tree fell on an excavator he was operating in Benton Township in southwestern Michigan.
The man was part of an excavation crew working on a drainage project when the tree fell, crushing the cab of the excavator and pinning him inside.
The man’s name wasn’t immediately released, but authorities said he was from Paw Paw, according to a report attributed to The Detroit News, the Associated Press, The Herald-Palladium and WSJM-FM.
Paul Dykema, forestry and grounds manager with Lansing Public Service Department in Lansing, Michigan, shared this report.
Ground worker injured in struck-by
A 25-year-old tree worker was injured March 22, 2016, when he was struck by a limb while working at a home in Norwalk Ohio.
The man was on the ground when a log was dropped out of the tree and struck him in the head and neck. He was standing in the drop zone when a piece was cut. It was the man’s first day on the job working for a tree service.
He was airlifted to a nearby hospital with a broken neck, fractured skull and serious brain bleeding, and was in a coma. He was out of his coma four days later, according to Norwalk Reflector and dripline.com reports.
Motorist killed in crash with tree truck
A tree truck crashed into a minivan March 23, 2016, in Raleigh, North Carolina, killing the operator of the minivan.
Police had received a report of the dump truck with logs in the back and towing a loader operating erratically before it rear-ended the 2004 Toyota Sienna minivan.
The dump truck pushed the Sienna into the back of a tractor-trailer, and the minivan was crushed between the two trucks. The driver of the Sienna, Michelle Simone Barlow, 42, a high school English teacher, was killed in the crash.
The drivers of the tractor trailer and the dump truck were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the dump truck could face criminal charges, according to a WRAL-TV5 report.
Trimmer hit by BB shots
An employee of a tree trimming company was shot by a BB gun March 24, 2016, in Ansonia, Connecticut. The worker did not have to go to the hospital.
The worker, who was trimming power lines in the area, told police he was shot in the arm with a BB while working. Officers were unable to locate anyone in the area and the workers didn’t see anyone, according to a Valley Independent Sentinel report.
Tractor operator hurt removing tree
A 77-year-old man suffered multiple traumatic injuries March 30, 2016, when a tree snapped and struck him as he was operating a tractor in Lebanon, Oregon.
The unidentified man had been using his Kubota tractor to help direct a 35-foot aspen tree away from a house while another man used a chain saw to fall the tree. As the trunk was being cut, it snapped unexpectedly and fell directly onto the tractor operator.
The tree struck the man in the head and upper body, knocking him unconscious and pinning him to the seat of the tractor. The tractor then rolled backward approximately 30 feet before coming to rest in front of a residence.
Firefighters extricated the victim, who had regained consciousness, and transported him to Lebanon Community Hospital, according to a report in The
Register-Guard.
(These last two items occurred in February, but were missed last month, so are included here with the March accidents.)
Tree worker hurt in fall from ladder
A tree worker for a landscape company was seriously injured when he fell just six feet from a ladder and struck his head February 27, 2016, in Greenwich, Connecticut.
A 35-year-old tree worker from Bridgeport, Conn., set up his orchard ladder, a triangular pruning ladder with three points at the bottom, on soft ground. He began climbing with a pruning tool and was about six feet up when the ladder shifted in the soil and he fell backward. A co-worker tried to block his fall, but the tree worker who fell struck his head against a stone wall.
The victim was semi-conscious and was taken to the hospital by emergency responders. He remained hospitalized in the intensive care unit several days after the incident, according to a Greenwich Time report.
None of the workers on the crew had hard hats, according to a report directly to TCIA staff.
Climber dies when saddle fails
A climber fell and died after the bridge apparently failed on his climbing saddle while working February 29, 2016, in York Township, Michigan.
Scott Alan Redding, 28, of Brighton was trimming trees at a private residence as part of his job with an Ann Arbor tree care company when he fell approximately 30 to 40 feet before hitting a wooden deck. CPR was performed on scene before he was transported to a nearby hospital. He died later that evening.
Redding was ascending a tree to trim it, secured with a rope and saddle, when the bridge – the piece that connects the rope to the harness – broke, according to an Ann Arbor News report.
The Weaver Cougar saddle was about seven years old, according to the news report.
About the time this saddle was sold, Weaver issued a notice, instructions and a video about the Cougar’s rope bridge, urging frequent inspections and replacement every six months.
February 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Logger serious after struck-by
A man was seriously injured while logging by himself February 2, 2016, in Salisbury, New York. Rodney Congdon, 58, of Salisbury, was found trapped beneath a tree on a logging trail 1.4 miles off the main road. Congdon was in the woods cutting trees by himself when a large tree fell on his back and pinned his legs to the ground.
Rescuers moved the tree, carried him out of the woods and took him to the Stratford Fire Station, where he was flown to Albany Medical Center. He was listed in serious but stable condition at Albany Medical Center, according to a report on www.cnycentral.com.
Submitted by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist-Central Division, with National Grid in Syracuse, New York.
Climber rescued from palm fronds
A tree trimmer suffered minor injuries February 4, 2016, when he was pinned beneath dead palm fronds about 20 feet up a tree in Encinitas, California. Emergency crews found the man trapped under a heavy pile of fronds and unable to move.
Rescuers used a ladder truck to access the victim and removed the fronds. The man was tied to the palm with his safety belt and was awake and alert. He was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla to be treated for minor injuries, according to a KSWB FOX 5 report.
Man struck and hurt by cut tree
A man was in stable condition after a tree he was cutting down fell on him February 6, 2016, in McHenry, Illinois. First responders found the man, in his 30s, lying on the ground next to a tree.
He was taken by Flight for Life helicopter to a local hospital, where he was listed in stable condition, according to a Northwest Herald report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man who had been cutting firewood was found dead under a fallen tree February 7, 2016, near Bolivar, Missouri. A neighbor discovered the body of Barry Lewis Wahl, 61, of Roach, north of Bolivar, late that night.
Wahl’s wife called 911 to report Wahl was cutting firewood on the property, owned by Wahl’s father-in-law, during the day but had not returned when expected. A sheriff’s deputy pinged Wahl’s cell phone to determine his location on the property. While the deputy and first responders were en route, a neighbor called 911 to report Wahl’s body had been located.
Wahl had apparently died at about 4:30 p.m. It appeared Wahl was impacted by a tree when it fell in an unexpected direction, according to a police report quoted in a Bolivar Herald-Free Press report.
Trimmer electrocuted
A tree trimmer was electrocuted while working in West Miami February 8, 2016. Petronilo Reynoso, 46, of Miami, was working in the backyard of a home when he cut an electrical line and was killed.
The homeowner had hired the arborist to cut some trees behind her home.
Florida Power and Light disconnected the power to the area so Reynoso’s body could be recovered, according to an NBC 6 South Florida report.
Homeowner seriously injured in fall from ladder
A man was seriously injured after falling from a ladder while trimming branches from a tree February 9, 2016, in Frederick, Oklahoma.
The homeowner was using a chain saw to trim broken limbs from the trees around his home. One of the limbs he severed fell into his ladder, knocking it over and causing the man to fall 12 feet to the ground. The man was discovered by a neighbor, lying face down in the yard beneath the tree. The badly bent ladder and chain saw were strewn on the ground nearby.
He was taken by helicopter to OU Medical Center due to the nature of his injuries, according to a Press-Leader report.
Man dies cutting trees alone
A man was killed February 12, 2016, in what was described as a logging accident in Cayuga County, New York. The man was harvesting trees by himself when the accident happened.
James Rowe, 59, of Niles, N.Y., had left his home in the morning, and family members became concerned when he had not returned as expected. He was found dead shortly after 8 p.m. in a wooded area off Richardson Road in Niles. Family members located Rowe in the woods and called 911, according to a www.syracuse.com report.
Submitted by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist-Central Division, with National Grid in Syracuse, New York.
Man survives being pulled into chipper
An arborist was accidentally pulled head first into an operating wood chipper February 12, 2016, in Leaburg, Oregon, and suffered serious injuries, but was expected to survive.
The arborist’s harness rope had become tangled with tree limbs being fed into the chipper, causing him to be yanked in. However, his leg tripped the safety bar and shut off the machine just when his head arrived at the chipper blades.
The victim suffered trauma to the back of his head and a broken left leg. He was taken to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield.
The arborist, in his 20s, was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, which very likely helped him survive, according to a first responder on the scene, as reported by The Register-Guard.
Tree worker setting signs killed by car
A tree worker setting up a work zone was killed by a car February 18, 2016, in Robbins, in Moore County, North Carolina.
Tony Wood, of Hamptonville, N.C., died at the scene of the collision just before 8 a.m. The car driver was flown to the hospital, though his exact condition was not known.
Wood and another man were setting up work signs when the car hit a chipper. Wood ended up pinned between the chipper and the work truck. Police reported that the car driver may have had a medical issue prior to the crash.
Wood was working for a local vegetation management company hired by the North Carolina Department of Transportation to conduct tree work, according to an Aberdeen Times and WXII Channel 12 report.
Climber hurt in fall
A tree company worker suffered several injuries, including possible fractures, when he fell out of a tree he was working on February 22, 2016, in Lufkin, Texas. Paramedics stabilized and treated the man at the scene before transporting him to a hospital, according to a KTRE News 9 report.
Man killed in 75-foot fall
A tree worker was killed February 23, 2016, in Magalia, California, when he fell approximately 75 feet to the ground.
Joey L. Perkins, 46, was contracted to cut back some trees. Investigators were not sure what caused the fall, but said a portion of a cut tree also landed on Perkins, according to an Action News Now report, which also reported that Perkins was pronounced dead at the scene.
January 2016 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed January 1, 2016, in Swain County, North Carolina, after a tree he was cutting fell on him. Roscoe Lindsay, who was in his 60s, was found dead on his property after a tree he’d cut with a chain saw fell on him, according to a WLOS News13 Report.
Climber rescued from roof after fall
A climber with a tree service crew was rescued after falling from a tree and landing on a roof January 3, 2016, in Harborcreek, near Erie, Pennsylvania.
The climber fell 20 feet, reportedly landing on his head on the roof of a garage. The steel roof had snow on it, so was slick for the rescuers. A Stokes basket was used to move the victim off the roof, which was about 20 feet high.
The victim was not conscious when he was recovered. He was transported to a trauma center. His name and condition were not released, according to an Erie News Now, WICU 12 report.
Man dies in struck-by
A man died January 4, 2016, after being crushed by a large branch while cutting a tree in a private park in North Kohala, Big Island, Hawaii.
Andrew A. Ankner, 29, who had no known address, was about 20 feet up in a tree trimming it when a branch he had cut fell on him and pinned him in a fork of the tree.
Fire Department personnel extricated him from the tree, and he was flown to a hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead later that night, according to a West Hawaii Today report.
Sent in by Carol Kwan of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Yard worker killed in struck-by
A man died January 4, 2016, after he was struck in the head by a log while working with a portable sawmill at a tree care company yard in Lockport, near Chicago, Illinois.
Brad T. Harders, 38, of Genoa, was working on a piece of equipment that cuts logs into boards when he was struck in the head by a log. He was taken to Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox, where he was pronounced dead.
Harders was employed by a staffing agency and was working for a wood products company at the tree service yard, according to a Chicago Sun-Times and CBDS Chicago report.
Man killed by cut limb
A man was killed January 6, 2016, while cutting down tree limbs in Jefferson County, West Virginia.
Franklin Williams, 29, of Brunswick, Maryland, was in a tree when a limb he’d cut fell the wrong way and crushed him. He appeared to have died almost immediately, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Williams was cutting the tree limbs with another man. They appeared to be doing it as a business, but they did not appear to belong to an official company, according to a report in The Herald-Mail in Maryland.
Worker killed in struck-by while felling
An Oregon man was killed by a falling tree branch while felling a tree January 6, 2016, in Hawaii.
Matthew Tester, 24, was part of a Green Energy Team biomass project responsible for cutting down and removing branches from albizia trees. Tester, who was wearing protective gear at the time of the incident, was cutting a trunk using a chain saw. After making his cut, Tester retreated while maintaining a visual on the tree. Unfortunately, there was a large dead branch directly overhead but several feet up that snapped due to its own weight as the tree fell backward and struck him.
“It is often difficult to tell when the branches are dead as they still look alive on the outside. This is one of the things which makes albizia so dangerous here,” Michael Mann, plant manager, told The Garden Island Newspaper in an email.
Green Energy Team has 39 employees, including those who work cutting and planting trees on leased and private lands. Albizia trees are used as fuel in the Green Energy Team biomass plant near Koloa, according to The Garden Island Newspaper report.
Sent in by Gary Dempster, a climber with Nature’s Way Farm & Trees, LLC in Chesterfield, New Jersey, currently living on the Big Island of Hawaii, and Carol Kwan of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Man rescued from pecan tree
A man had to be rescued from a pecan tree he was working to cut down January 7, 2016, in Camilla, Georgia. James Cross of Albany, Ga., was trapped in the tree after a limb unexpectedly broke off, pinning his leg. His co-workers called 911.
After attempting to get Cross out of the tree, and seeing the extent of his injuries, the Camilla Rescue Team called the city’s utility division, which used its bucket truck to rescue Cross.
Cross sustained a serious leg injury and appeared to be nearing hypothermia, as he was not wearing winter weather gear. Paramedics rushed Cross to the Mitchell County Hospital. His condition was not immediately available, according to the WALB News 10 report.
Tree worker killed in fall
Jeffrey Michael Tracy, 62, was killed January 8, 2016, in Charleston, South Carolina, after he fell out of a tree while working for a Mount Pleasant, S.C., tree service company. No other details were available, according to a report in The Post and Courier.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed January 13, 2016, while trying to cut down a tree in Magoffin County, Kentucky. The victim was cutting down a tree and tried to get out of the way as it fell, but didn’t make it in time. The victim died at the scene, according to the LEX 18 report.
Operator killed in fall from bucket
An aerial lift bucket operator died January 13, 2016, in Benton, Illinois, after falling 50 feet to the ground.
Todd McWhirter, 48, of Buckner, Ill., was trimming trees for a tree service when he fell. He landed on his back and was unresponsive when another employee rushed to his side. McWhirter was pronounced dead a short time later at a local hospital.
It is not clear how McWhirter fell, but he was not wearing a safety harness, according to a KFVS Channel 12 report.
Man critical after struck-by
Several construction workers were trimming trees January 15, 2016, in Lincoln, Nebraska, when a branch fell and hit and injured one of them.
John Benes, 47, of Denton, Neb., was standing on the top level of a construction site when the branch fell. The branch was 7 inches in diameter and about 20 feet long. After it hit Benes, he fell six feet from the edge of a flat surface he was standing on.
He was reported to be in critical condition immediately following the accident, according to a Lincoln Journal Star report.
Lift operator injured in tip-over
An aerial lift belonging to a tree service toppled over January 21, 2016, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, while the operator was roughly 50 feet in the air. The truck was set up too close to a ditch on the edge of the gravel road. The aerial lift fell through a 7.2kV single phase power line, breaking the line and slamming the bucket through some trees and to the ground.
The operator suffered a major bruise to his left thigh and an open fracture to his left elbow.
Reported directly to TCIA staff.
Man killed by tree while cutting wood
Police found a Columbus, Indiana, man’s body in woods in Gnaw Bone, Brown County, Ind., January 25, 2016, two weeks after his family had last seen him.
Jesse King, 37, had been cutting wood on a friend’s property. The property owners called police January 23 to report that they were there looking for King and wanted officers’ help to find him. King’s stepfather had last seen King January 9, and he was heading out to cut firewood on the Brown County property.
Officers discovered King’s body Monday morning. He had been cutting a tree when it fell and pinned him, according to a report in The Republic.
Man injured by cut tree
A man was injured January 25, 2016, in Youngstown, Ohio, when a tree he was taking down fell on him. Larry Brockway, a forestry service company owner, sustained extensive injuries including rib fractures, sternal fracture, spine fractures, a small head bleed and a collapsed left lung. He was life-flighted to the hospital.
Reported directly to TCIA staff.
Logger killed in struck-by
A man was killed in what appeared to be a logging accident January 30, 2016, in Union, Wisconsin, when he was struck by a limb while felling a tree. Clarence T. Yoder, 59, of Hillsboro, Wisc., who was cutting a tree on private property, was severely injured and died at the scene, according to a report in The Messenger of Juneau County.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring throughout 2015
December 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Lift operator electrocuted
An aerial lift operator was killed in an accident involving a utility line December 2, 2015, in Lubbock, Texas. Bobby Wayne Phillips, 46, was in a bucket lift trimming trees for a private company when he made contact with high-voltage power lines. He died at the scene.
Phillips was not working for the local power company nor for a contractor for the power company. Neighbors stood near the sidewalk and watched as officials worked to bring the victim down, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal report.
Man electrocuted using pole saw to trim
A man trimming trees with a pole saw at a residence was electrocuted December 2, 2015, in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Patrol officers responded to a report of an unresponsive man who may have fallen out of a tree at a home. When they arrived, the man, later identified as Christopher Volpa, 26, of Kailua-Kona, was lying on the road with burn marks and next to a long tree-trimming pole, which also had burn marks.
Police said that he had been trimming branches near electrical power lines. Volpa was taken to Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the West Hawaii Today report.
Sent in by Gary Dempster, a climber with Nature’s Way Farm & Trees, LLC in Chesterfield, New Jersey, currently living on the Big Island of Hawaii, and Carol Kwan of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Teen killed in chipper on first day on job
A 19-year-old man was pulled into a wood chipper and killed in Gaston County, North Carolina, on December 5, 2015, on what was believed to be his first day on the job.
Mason Scott Cox, of Gastonia, was apparently attempting to kick a limb into the chipper when he was pulled in. Cox as working for a company that was taking down trees in a residential yard. Cox was found inside the chipper and pronounced dead on scene.
Cox’s mother, Debra Sisk, told WBTV Television Channel 3 the teen had very limited experience in the tree removal industry, but had worked on cell towers before. It was his first day on this job, according to a WBTV report.
Man killed trimming from ladder
A 66-year-old man was killed December 6, 2015, in Harrison Township, Ohio, when he was struck by a cut limb while trimming a tree from ladder.
The Preble County property owner apparently was crushed when a large branch fell and hit him while he was on the ladder. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Preble County coroner.
The sheriff’s office was called at to the property after a family friend found the victim fatally injured. The accident was believed to have happened in the afternoon. The man’s wife went outside to look for him after dark when he didn’t come back inside. When she couldn’t find him, she asked the family friend to help, according to a WHIO TV 7 report.
Lift operator killed in 27-foot fall
A worker was killed December 8, 2015, in Syosset, New York, when he fell 27-feet from an aerial lift bucket while trimming a tree. Stephan Wright, 53, of Hempstead, who was employed by a local tree service, was not wearing protective gear or a harness.
He was taken to Nassau University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead by emergency room staff, according to a Syosset Patch report.
Posted to TCIA’s CTSP facebook page by David Golon, CTSP, general manager with Wonderland Tree Care, Inc. in Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Climber shocked in tree
A tree trimmer was taken to the hospital in critical condition December 15, 2015, after he came into contact with live wires and was shocked. The victim was also stuck in the tree briefly before he was rescued, but was breathing when paramedics arrived. He was taken to The University of Kansas Hospital, according to a FOX 4 report
Man killed by felled tree
A man died when he was struck by a felled tree December 16, 2015, in Magoffin County, Kentucky.
Derek Matthew Hannah, 26, of Staffordsville, Kentucky, was cutting down a tree, apparently part of logging operation, when it fell, pinning him down. He tried to get out of the way, but he didn’t make it in time. He died at the scene, according to reports from WYMT and LEX18.
Construction worker killed in struck-by
A construction worker died after he was crushed by a tree in an excavating machine while removing trees December 16, 2015, in a school parking lot in Naugatuck, Connecticut.
Luis Albaro Ortega, 32, of Naugatuck, was working for a company subcontracted for tree removal services at Naugatuck High School.
Ortega was removed from the piece of equipment he was operating and transported to a hospital, but later died, according to Naugatuck Patch and NBC Connecticut WVIT reports.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A man working for a tree removal service was killed by a falling branch December 23, 2015, in Lincoln County, Maine.
Eliot Lamb, 22, of Orono, was working with Scott MacKenney, the company owner, helping remove a large tree from a property when the accident happened. He died instantly, according to a WABI-TV 5 report.
Line clearance trimmer dies in fall
A tree trimmer fell 55 feet to his death December 30, 2015, while clearing storm-damaged limbs along some Pacific Gas & Electric lines near Weitchpec, north of Hoopa, Washington.
Kenneth Arlen Buck Williams, 26, of Hoopa, was working for tree care company PG&E had contracted to clear some tree limbs that had been damaged in recent storms, according to a report in The North Coast Journal. The report did not indicate whether Williams fell from an aerial lift or if he’d been climbing.
November 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2016 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Homeowner knocked from ladder
A homeowner was rescued by firefighters November 1, 2015, in New Palestine, Indiana, after he was knocked from a ladder and trapped by the tree limb he was cutting.
Donald Minix, 66, was using a 20-foot aluminum ladder to cut a dead tree his wife, Shane, had warned him to stay away from. He was standing on the top rung holding a chain saw when the limb swung back and slammed the tree and catapulted Minix off and to the ground. The limb then landed on top of him. His wife dialed 911.
It took three firefighters to move the limb. Minix was alert and talking with his rescuers, but he had a fractured back and other bruises and scrapes, according to a WTHR 13 report.
Two pastors shocked trimming trees
The two pastors were expected to recover after being shocked November 6, 2015, in Port Charlotte, Florida, while trimming trees from a platform lift.
Mark Coffey and Calvin Kress were trimming trees on church property when they apparently got to close to power lines and were shocked. The two pastors were both rushed to Blake Memorial Hospital in Bradenton to be treated for severe burns.
Coffey had burns to a foot, and was released after two days in the hospital. Kress was originally reported to have burns on over 40 percent of his body, and while he remained hospitalized, his injuries turned out to be not that severe, according to a WBBH-TV NBC2 report.
Brush-cutter operator hurt in struck-by
A 76-year-old man was critically injured November 10, 2015, in Anderson County, Texas, when a tree fell on him while he was working with a tractor and brush cutter. The man became pinned under the tree. After being freed by first responders, the man was flown to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler, according to a KYYK report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed November 11, 2015, in Ormond Beach, Florida, after a limb snapped and fell on top of him.
Robert Smith, 40, was part of a crew working to remove a palm. The palm apparently leaned on a branch of an old oak tree. The branch was unable to hold the weight of the palm, and the oak limb snapped and struck Smith, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a News 13 report.
Bulldozer operator killed in struck-by
A man using a bulldozer to clear limbs November 11, 2015, in the Township of Nepeuskun, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, was killed when one of the limbs came into the cab, striking him.
The man, 55, from Omro, Wisc., was removing tree limbs that had been cleared from a field. He was already dead when first responders arrived, according to a WBAY-TV report.
Tree worker struck by FedEx van
A tree worker directing traffic November 13, 2015, in Hoover, Alabama, was struck and seriously injured by a van being operated by a Federal Express delivery driver who then fled the scene.
The 55-year-old victim was working for a tree removal company, helping to slow traffic while his co-worker backed a large tree truck into the roadway, when he was struck. The female delivery driver slowed after hitting the man, but then sped away. Witnesses followed the van and tried to get the driver to stop, but she refused. She made evasive maneuvers while fleeing the scene, including driving through someone’s yard to get away.
Witnesses told police the driver was wearing a FedEx uniform shirt. Investigators then found the van at a FedEx facility in Homewood, Ala. FedEx management provided police with the name of the driver, who at the time of the crash was driving a plain white cargo van rented by FedEx. Tiarta Jhane Smith, 21, of Pleasant Grove, Ala., was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, which is a felony.
The victim spent a week in the hospital where he was treated for serious injuries, including several broken bones, according to a The Birmingham News/Alabama Media Group report.
Food delivery man dies in struck-by
A Chinese food delivery man on a motor bike died after he was struck by a tree being cut down by contractors November 16, 2015, in Coffey Park in Red Hook, part of Brooklyn, New York
The delivery man was riding by on a bicycle with bags of food en route from a nearby restaurant when the felled tree landed on top of him, striking him in the head.
Emergency responders rushed the unconscious man to Methodist Hospital, where he later died.
An employee of a contractor hired by the Parks Department was cutting down the tree at the time, while another crew member held a traffic flag and was trying to direct the deliveryman away from the area, which was not sectioned off from traffic, according to a New York Daily News report.
Sent in by Richard K. Ely, of Rich K. Ely & Son Tree Service Inc., a TCIA member company based in Moriches, New York.
Climber hurt after crane topples
A climber was injured after a crane being used in tree removal collapsed and crashed through the roof of a home November 19, 2015, in Merrimack, New Hampshire.
The homeowner hired the tree care company to cut down 20 trees on her property. The crew was cutting down the last tree when one of the crane’s outrigger hit a septic tank in the backyard. The crane toppled and smashed into the roof of the home, where two people were inside. The people inside weren’t hurt, but a worker was left dangling from the tree. When the operator tried to move the crane, the climber was injured when it hit his foot. The injured climber was taken to a nearby hospital.
The homeowner said she has owned the house for 28 years but never knew about the second septic system that caused the problem, according to a WMUR-TV report.
Climber hurt when tree splits
A tree climber was injured November 23, 2015, in Harpster, Wyandot County, Ohio, when he was pinned between the tree he was cutting and his lanyard/harness cable.
Mark Hershberger, of Shreve, Ohio, was about 20 feet up in a walnut tree, cutting a branch. As the branch began to fall, it split the tree’s trunk, which was wrapped by his lanyard. The lanyard pinched Hershberger between it and the tree for about 30 seconds before the branch broke off from the trunk.
Hershberger was able to get down from the tree and was helped by a juvenile assistant, who witnessed the incident. He was taken to a local hospital then by LifeFlight to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center, Toledo, according to a report in The Courier.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A highway department employee was killed November 23, 2015, in Otsego, New York, after he was struck by a tree he was helping remove. Adam C. Burgess, 27, of Laurens, N.Y., was part of a three-man crew cutting and clearing roadside trees when the accident occurred. Burgess was taken to Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown where he was pronounced dead from a skull fracture, according to a Press and Sun-Bulletin report.
Trimmer hurt after hitting power line
A tree trimmer was shocked November 24, 2015, in Delray Beach, Florida, when he contacted a power line. The worker received a shock and was upside down for 30 minutes before he could be rescued.
The worker was conscious and breathing when fire rescue arrived. He was transported to Delray Medical Center as a trauma patient, according to a WPTV News Channel 5 report.
Tree worker killed by pickup truck
A tree trimmer pulling branches out of the road was fatally hit by a pickup truck November 24, 2015, in Valley Center, California, near Oceanside.
The victim, from Escondido, was part of a tree care crew trimming trees along the roadway. He apparently stepped into the southbound lane, crossing directly into the path of the pickup truck. The vehicle hit the man at about 35 to 40 mph. The victim, whose name was withheld pending family notification, died at the scene, according to an NBC 7 San Diego report.
Girl, 8, killed; boy, 5, hurt by cut tree
An 8-year-old girl was killed and her brother, 5, was injured by a tree being felled by their father and grandfather November 24, 2015, in Vonore, Tennessee.
The children and their parents, from Blount County, were visiting their grandparents in Vonore at the time.
Elvin Vence, the children’s grandfather, and the children’s father, John Geli, were cutting down a tree when it started to fall toward the Vences’ house. The children started running away from the home when they saw the tree falling, but the tree shifted and fell on top of them.
Deborah Geli, 8, died from her injuries. Caleb Geli, 5, was hospitalized with a fractured spine, according to a WBIR TV-10 report.
Man killed by cut tree
A 30-year-old man was killed November 24, 2015, in Elizabethton, Tennessee, when a tree he was taking down fell on him.
The man was working to clear trees that had grown into the electric lines. A tree that had been cut to fall in what was thought to be a safe direction bounced off another tree and fell back on the man, according to a Johnson City Press report.
Man seriously hurt in fall from ladder
A property owner was seriously injured after he fell 20 to 25 feet from a ladder while doing tree work November 29, 2015, in Hanson, Massachusetts.
The man, in his 50s, is the landlord of the home at which he was doing the work. When firefighters arrived, he was lying on the ground suffering from multiple injuries, which were believed to be serious but not life threatening.
He was flown by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. It is unclear what caused the man to fall, according to a report in The Enterprise.
Woman killed by cut tree
A woman died after being pinned under a tree she was cutting November 30, 2015, in Aiken County, South Carolina. Eloise Edwards, 63, of Aiken, S.C., was pronounced dead at her home after being discovered in her backyard. Edwards was attempting to cut down a medium sized tree, when the tree fell on her.
The incident occurred Monday afternoon, but Edwards was not discovered until Tuesday, according to a WJBF-TV News Channel 6 report.
October 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man cutting firewood killed in struck-by
A man was killed by a falling tree while cutting trees for firewood October 1, 2015, in Huntington, Massachusetts. Stephen Griffin, 44, of Westfield, Mass., was working with his family when a tree fell down and crushed him. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report in The Republican.
Man helping friend killed by cut tree
A man was killed October 4, 2015, in Oceola Township, Michigan, while working to remove a tree.
Michael William Powell, 56, was helping cut down a tree at a friend’s home. He was standing on the opposite side of where they believed the tree would fall, but it apparently twisted and fell on Powell, striking him in the back of the head, killing him, according to a WHMI-FM 93.5 report.
Climber hurt during storm cleanup
Fire crews rescued a tree worker October 5, 2015, in Richmond, Virginia, after the worker was struck by a section of tree.
Crews were working to clear storm damage. One tree had fallen over a ravine and taken down power lines. A climber wearing a harness was helping with that tree when a 10-foot section being cut fell loose, striking him. He didn’t fall down the ravine, thanks to his harness, but was suspended for some time, until crews were able to lower him.
The man remained conscious and appeared to have injured his shoulder from being struck by the tree. He was transported to an area hospital by ambulance, according to an ABC 8 News report.
Landscaper dies in fall from tree
A landscaper died October 6, 2015, after falling from a tree at a residence in Quogue Village, New York.
Vincente Vanquez Castellon, 33, a local landscaping company employee, was up in a tree cutting limbs when he apparently lost his grip and fell onto the pavement. His employer drove Castellon to the East Quogue firehouse. The fire department’s emergency medical technicians then drove the victim to the Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report in The Southampton Press.
Sent in by Jean Dodds, CTSP, president of Hardscrabble Business Solutions in Bridgehampton, New York.
Operator hurt when crane tips
An operator received only minor injuries when the crane he was using to remove a tree section tipped over October 8, 2015, in Willoughby, Ohio, near Cleveland.
Tree service workers were moving the last large piece of tree, one of four that they had spent all day cutting down at a home, when the crane tipped and the tree section crashed through the nearly 200-year-old home. Workers had apparently failed to set one of the outriggers on the crane and the weight of the nearly 10-foot-long by 3- or 4-feet-wide piece tipped the crane over. The crane ended up lying on the front yard and the piece inside an enclosed front porch.
The crane operator suffered a broken bone in his leg or foot, but he was the only person injured in the accident, according to a WEWS/newsnet5.com report.
Man killed cutting tree at mother’s house
A man died October 8, 2015, when he was struck by a tree limb he was cutting at his mother's house in Westminster, Massachusetts. Daniel Leger, 58, of Barre, Mass., was found dead by police and firefighters responding to a 911 cell phone call that had indicated a person was trapped under a large tree limb, according to a Telegram & Gazette report.
Landscaper dies in wood chipper
A man died October 8, 2015, in the Pawcatuck section of Stonington, Connecticut, after apparently being partially pulled through a wood chipper. Emergency dispatch received a 911 call about a severe injury involving a wood chipper on private property. Upon arrival, authorities located a man’s body. Police said the man was “partially pulled into a wood chipper,” according to a WFSB Eyewitness News report.
Neighbors said that the machine was running all day long, and investigators said the victim apparently had been working alone, according to the WFSB report.
The man was later identified as Nicholas M. Reardon, 72, of Stonington, owner of a landscape firm, according to a www.nbcconnecticut.com report.
Couple killed cutting tree
A couple was found dead October 11, 2015, a day after an accident apparently occurred while they were cutting down a tree in Olympia, Kentucky. Ralph Davis, 66, and his wife, Dorothy, 56, were discovered by a neighbor Monday morning, October 12, on their property.
The pair were living in Menifee County, but were working on the Bath County property, clearing the yard to build a house, when the accident occurred. One tree had apparently become lodged in a second tree, and they went to get it out of the second tree, and cut the limb, according to a LEX18 report. No more details were available.
Tree worker loses part of arm in chipper
A tree service worker lost part of an arm after it got caught in a wood chipper October 12, 2015, in Gainesville, Florida.
Roberto Serrano, 60, of Chiefland, Fla., was putting tree branches into a chipper when his arm got pulled into the machine. Serrano was able to free himself from the wood chipper, but his arm was missing from the elbow down.
An ambulance was driving nearby, heard a 911 call and stopped to give him emergency aid. A responding sheriff’s deputy also applied a tourniquet to control bleeding. Serrano was in stable condition when he was taken to the hospital, according to a report from The Gainesville Sun and the Associated Press.
Tree worker crushed between truck and power pole
A tree-service climber died October 14, 2015, in Winter Garden, Florida, when he was crushed between his truck and a power pole. Donovan Thorney, 27, of Apopka, Fla., accidentally left his truck in neutral when he parked it in a driveway, and it apparently started to roll. Thorney jumped onto the truck’s running board to try and stop the truck, but it hit the pole, according to a WFTV Channel 9 report.
Stumper operator killed in struck-by
A stump grinder operator was killed October 15, 2015, in Warwick Township, Pennsylvania, after being struck by another tree being cut. Andrew Goleash, 44, of Exton, Pa., a tree removal company employee, was grinding a stump when the accident occurred. The tree rotated unexpectedly in the air, causing it to fall in his direction. Goleash could not hear his co-workers yelling for him to move to safety and was struck in the head, according to the WFMZ-TV report.
Child killed by cut tree
A 5-year-old boy died October 17, 2015, in Edinburg, New York, after being struck by a tree being cut down by his stepfather.
The stepfather had been using a chain saw to cut down a tree on his property. Once cut, the tree struck his stepson, causing serious head injuries. The child was transported by helicopter to Albany Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to a report in The Saratogian.
Neighbor hurt helping cut tree limbs
A man helping trim tree limbs October 19, 2015, near Lake Villa in Lake County, Illinois, was trapped 12 feet above the ground for more than an hour after a limb broke and pinned his leg.
The man, 65, was helping a neighbor cut branches in a backyard when the accident happened. He was able to keep from falling by keeping his other leg on a ladder.
It took an hour to extricate him. He was taken in critical condition by ambulance and then by helicopter to a hospital, but his injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, according to a Daily Herald report.
16-year-old worker killed by cut tree
A 16-year-old boy working for a tree services company died October 20, 2015, in Steuben County, Indiana, after being struck by a cut tree. The boy was unresponsive when crews arrived. A coroner said that the boy died from blunt-force trauma, according to a WPTA-TV 21Alive report.
Operator falls 70 feet after lift struck
An aerial lift operator for a tree trimming crew fell nearly 70 feet October 21, 2015, in Genoa Township, Ohio, after a crane or a tree section being removed by the crane struck the lift.
The large crane was lifting a piece of a tree that was being trimmed at a residence when the lift was struck, causing the aerial lift to collapse and the worker in the basket to fall. Emergency crews said the worker was wearing protective gear and was alert when he was taken to Riverside Hospital, according to the WTTE Fox 28 report.
Tree service owner killed during removal
A tree service owner was killed while cutting down a tree October 21, 2015, in Lenoir, North Carolina. Michael Roark, 36, owner of Roark’s Tree Service, was attempting to cut down a tree when the tree fell and struck him. He was pronounced dead on scene, according to a WBTV Channel 3 report.
Homeowner killed helping remove tree
A woman helping other members of her family remove a tree at their home October 23, 2015, in Merriam, Kansas, died after being struck by the tree. The tree fell on the victim, 29. She was taken to a hospital where she died, according to the Kansas City Star report.
Homeowner injured in struck-by
A man was seriously injured October 25, 2015, near Honolulu, Hawaii, after the trunk of a tree he had felled twisted, striking him in the chest. The tree had torqued, but did not separate from its base. The cut line was about 3 feet from the ground. When he went to cut the remaining section from the base, the tree snapped, knocking him to the ground. Stunned for a time, the man was able to call for help using his cell phone.
He was hospitalized with eight broken ribs, a punctured the lung, torn tendons and a broken shoulder, as reported directly to TCIA staff.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
A tree trimmer trapped inside the skirt of a palm 25 feet up was rescued by firefighters October 26, 2015, in Pasadena, California. The man was trimming the palm when the crown of fronds slid over him, trapping him inside.
The victim, attached to the tree by a rope, was talking to rescuers the whole time as they cut away palm fronds to free him. Finally, after an hour, the remains of the frond skirt fell away, leaving him dangling, and he was brought to the ground. He was listed in stable condition at a local hospital, according to an NBC4 Los Angeles - KNBC report.
For a video of the rescue, go to the digital version of this issue online and click here.
Two tree workers hurt in crash
A pickup truck carrying turkeys and chickens crossed the center line of a road and struck a tree-trimming truck October 26, 2015, in Phoenix, Maryland. The tree-trimming truck then overturned. Two men in the tree-trimming truck were taken to Sinai Hospital. The driver of the truck carrying the animals was not injured, according to the WBAL-TV report.
Man found dead in barber-chaired tree
A man died October 26, 2015, in Canton, New York, after becoming caught in a barber-chaired tree that then closed up on him. Police responding to the report of a man trapped in a tree found Keith L. Barrigar, 67, of Canton, pinned in the split tree trunk. He was pronounced dead by the St. Lawrence County Coroner.
Barrigar, working alone, was using a chain saw to cut a tree. The tree snapped free from the stump and split vertically from the cut, up the trunk about 20 feet. The tree’s canopy likely caused the split trunk to spring back and snap shut. He was stuck in between and suffocated, according to a Watertown Daily Times report.
September 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Climber dies in fall
Edgar Diaz, a climber with a local tree service company, was killed September 2, 2015, in a fall while trimming in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, according to an OSHA accident report.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
An employee of a tree company was injured on September 3, 2015, in Sparta, New Jersey, when a portion of the trunk of a tree that was being cut up for disposal swung and hit him.
The tree had previously fallen onto the deck of the home, according to a New Jersey Herald report.
Trimmer burned when he nicks wire
A tree trimmer suffered severe burns to his hands and knees September 4, 2015, when he was shocked after nicking an energized power line in Warrington, Pennsylvania. The accident occurred at a private residence, according to a report in The Intelligencer.
Tree worker killed by cut tree
Javier Barrio-Santiago, a worker with a local tree care company, was struck and killed by a felled tree September 9, 2015, in Eden, North Carolina, according to an OSHA accident report.
Landscaper killed in struck-by
A landscaper was killed September 10, 2015, while cutting down a tree in New City.
Unique Occena, 51, of Nanuet, New York, who also performed as a comedian under the name "G Unique,” died while working at a home after being struck by a falling branch.
Responding officers found Occena unresponsive in the driveway, where paramedics and members of the Nanuet volunteer ambulance corps tried to save him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Journal News.
Landscaper killed in struck-by
A landscape company employee died apparently while cutting down a tree September 15, 2015, in Natchez, Mississippi. John Randle McClellan, 49, died after a falling tree struck him in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Natchez Democrat report.
Man dies helping fell tree
A man working to cut down a rotted tree at a residence was killed September 15, 2015, in Chesterfield, Virginia, when the tree failed and he fell 30 feet.
Cody R. Nowell, 24, of Richmond, cut one piece and it fell in a different direction than expected. Then the tree snapped under him and he fell with it, according to a witness.
Neighbors, including a nurse and a retired EMT, rushed to his aide. Nowell was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to a CBS 6, WTVR-TV report.
Tree trimmer struck, killed
A tree trimmer who was laying cones in the street was struck and killed September 18, 2015, in Santa Ana, California, by a driver who then fled the scene.
The 25-year-old tree worker, described only as a Latino male, was struck by the driver in a silver Chevy Malibu who then fled. The car drove off but was heavily damaged and the tire came off. The driver and a second occupant abandoned the car and fled on foot, according to a report in the Orange County Register.
Homeowner hurt by chain saw
A homeowner cut his left hand with a chain saw September 19, 2015, in Parsons, Kansas, while clearing a tree that was knocked onto a garage during a severe thunderstorm the night before.
Mark Swafford, who received 27 stitches, was working to cut up the tree when he was injured. The chain saw didn’t hit any muscle or tendons, according to a Parsons Sun report.
Tree worker falls to his death
A climber fell from a tree to his death September 19, 2015, in Amherst, New York.
Christopher Gordon, 39, of Niagara Falls, was cutting a large limb from a tree when another limb fell on him. Gordon fell 35 feet to the ground.
Neighbors rushed to help Gordon before first responders arrived on the scene. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the WIVB News 4 report.
Man dies after being struck by cut tree
A man died September 19, 2015, in Madison County, Tennessee, after being struck by the tree he was helping friends remove.
Ira Nicholas Walker, 34, was working with friends to remove the tree when they misjudged where it would land. He was struck by the falling tree and received fatal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to an OSHA accident report and a report posted on dripline.com.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed September 23, 2015, in St. Francis, Wisconsin, while helping his son with tree work.
Blas Berumen, 69, of Oak Creek was helping his son trim trees at the son’s home when a branch fell and struck the father in the head. Berumen was standing on a stepladder and was knocked down. He was pronounced dead inside an ambulance. Berumen died of a blunt-force head injury, according to a WREX 13 report.
Man injured when tractor rolls over legs
A man was seriously injured September 23, 2015, in Algoma Township, Michigan, when a tractor wheel rolled onto his legs in a tree-cutting accident.
Bruce Hoorn, 67, was cutting a tree next to his home and had pre-cut the trunk so it would come down easier. Hoorn then attached a chain to the tree and to the loader bucket of his tractor. As he backed the tractor away, the tree began to fall toward the tractor. Hoorn jumped from the tractor while it was still rolling, but his legs became pinned under a back tire.
Hoorn’s wife discovered the accident and moved the tractor. Hoorn was taken to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital with serious injuries, according to a report in The Grand Rapids Press.
August 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Homeowner hurt in struck-by
A homeowner was struck in the head by a rotten tree or a rotten piece of a tree while doing property maintenance August 3, 2015, in Tolland, Connecticut.
A family member witnessed the accident in the woods behind the house and immediately called 911. The man was unresponsive and was transported to the hospital by helicopter, according to a patch.com report.
Man dies after tree falls from truck
A tree worker died August 5, 2015, at a grounds maintenance facility in Flat Rock, North Carolina, after a tree reportedly fell out of a truck, striking him.
A large log fell from the back of a truck, fatally striking 43-year-old David Hicks Baynard of Pisgah Forest, who was pronounced dead on the scene. Hicks was an employee of a local tree service, according to a report in The Times-News of Hendersonville, N.C.
Homeowner hurt in fall from tree
A homeowner suffered potentially life-threatening injuries August 7, 2015, in North Attleboro, Massachusetts, when he fell 25 to 30 feet from a pine tree he was pruning.
The man, 67, had been pruning a large pine tree with a friend when the accident happened. The victim had cut a branch about 8 inches to 10 inches wide when he fell, landing on a pile of pine needles.
The cut branch then fell while three firefighters were treating the man, but they covered him with their own bodies so he wouldn’t suffer further injury. The branch ended up falling against the tree, just brushing the firefighters.
The victim was initially reported conscious and alert, but was reported to have possibly suffered internal injuries from the fall. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, R.I., by a medical helicopter, according to a report in The Sun Chronicle.
Climber hurt in fall
A climber working with a crane was hurt after he fell about 15 feet off the end of his climbing line after being attacked and stung about 100 times by white-faced hornets August 7, 2015, in southeastern Massachusetts, south of Boston. The victim was removing one of two codominant stems in a tulip poplar, and the basketball-sized wasp nest was undetected in the remaining stem, according to a report related directly to TCIA staff.
Trimmer dies in palm
A tree worker died August 13, 2015, after becoming trapped in a palm he was trimming in Oak View, California.
The man somehow got stuck, likely trapped by a fallen skirt of palm fronds. Rescue personnel responded with ladders and other equipment. They eventually determined the man was unconscious and brought him down. He was declared dead at the scene.
There were no electrical lines in the area and electrocution was ruled out as a cause of death. Also, the man was still in a harness when found and had not fallen, according to a Ventura County Star report.
Tree trimmer in fall
A tree trimmer fell from a tree August 13, 2015, in Sandstone, near Beckley, West Virginia, suffering injuries and shutting down part of Interstate 64 during rush hour. The victim was flown to a hospital, which led to the closing of an exit of Interstate 64 briefly to allow the helicopter to land, according to a report in The Register-Herald.
Operator dies when bucket fails
A man contracted to trim trees along a road in Chatham, New York, died August 18, 2015, after the aerial lift he was using failed.
Robert Fournier, 50, of Chatham, had been contracted by the town to remove trees and limbs from the shoulders of the road. Fournier was in a bucket about 30 feet in the air when the hydraulic system supporting the boom apparently failed, causing the bucket to fall. Fournier fell from the bucket and hit the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to an Observer-Dispatch report.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A tree worker was seriously injured when he was struck by a felled tree August 18, 2015, in Coolspring Township, Pennsylvania.
Michael Hiles, 45, of Carlton, Pa., was working for a tree company when the tree he was cutting down fell on him. The company was in the process of cutting down several trees in the area when the accident occurred.
Hiles was taken to Grove City Medical Center and was listed in critical condition before he was flown to a trauma center in Pittsburgh, according to a 21 WFMJ report.
Cut log kills tree worker
A tree worker was killed August 18, 2015, in Sebastopol, California, when a large piece of a tree trunk fell roughly 80 feet and landed on him.
The owner of a tree-trimming company was approximately 80 feet up in a pine tree in the process of cutting it down. Having already trimmed all the branches, the owner began cutting a large portion of the main trunk from the top of the tree. A log roughly 8-inches in diameter struck the worker, who was standing near the base of the tree.
The owner immediately climbed down and began cutting the log off the worker, but by the time medics arrived the victim had died, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.
Tree service owner killed by cut tree
The owner of a small tree service died August 22, 2015, in Rochester, New York, after she was crushed by a large limb she had just cut.
Dawn Zollman, 58, of Rochester, had been hired by the homeowner to do some work. The homeowner was working in the front yard and realized she hadn’t heard from Zollman for a while; she discovered Zollman in the backyard.
It appeared a branch that she’d removed fell on her, pinning her to a tree. The limb was about three feet in circumference and 25-30 feet long. There was no indication that Zollman had been in the tree or on a ladder.
Zollman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Post-Bulletin report.
Homeowner found dead in tree
A homeowner was found dead in a tree August 25, 2015, in Charlestown, Rhode Island, after apparently becoming trapped while trying to trim the tree.
Police and emergency workers were called to the home believing the man, 71, was stuck in the tree. Rescue personnel determined the man may have been hit by a tree limb he was trying to cut with a saw that broke off and pinned him. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
A tree service was called in to remove the limb that pinned him, according to a report attributed to The Westerly Sun in The Providence Journal.
Man killed cutting tree
A man was killed in West Branch, Michigan, August 25, 2015, after being crushed by a branch he was cutting down from a tree.
Dennis Kennelly, 55, of Pinconning, Mich., was reportedly standing in the bucket of a front-end loader working to cut a tree branch down. The branch was chained to the bucket, and when it split, it came back and pushed Kennelly against the back of the bucket.
Kennelly was transported to the West Branch Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
There were two other men working with Kennelly, all part of a construction contractor crew – one driving the tractor and the other on the ground – both of whom were uninjured, according to an Ogemaw County Herald report.
Bucket operator survives 50-foot fall
A man survived a 50-foot fall from an aerial lift while cutting branches from a tree in Wolcott, Connecticut, August 27, 2015.
Erik Lynn, 35, used a bucket truck to lift himself 50 to 60 feet to trim branches. He was using a rope to lower a large branch to the ground when the weight of the branch caused the bucket he was in to shift backward, causing him to fall out, according to a Republican-American report.
Man hospitalized after 30-foot fall from tree
A man was taken to the hospital by helicopter August 31, 2015, after he allegedly fell 30 feet out of a tree in rural northwest Austin, Minnesota.
The 36-year-old Austin man, employed by a local tree service, slipped and fell while he was cutting a branch. His condition was not immediately known, according to an Austin Daily Herald report.
July 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Climber hurt in 30-foot fall
A man working for a tree-cutting service was injured after a branch broke and he fell about 30 feet to the ground July 7, 2015, at a home in Franklin Township, New Jersey.
The 42-year-old Trenton man, who was wearing a safety harness at the time of the incident, complained of severe abdominal pain, according to a Courier News and Home News Tribune report on mycentraljersey.com.
Line trimmer electrocuted
A man trimming tree branches along a roadway July 9, 2015, in Flatwoods, Kentucky, was killed when he came in contact with a main electric line. The man, an employee of a tree service company providing line clearance, was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to a WSAZ News report.
Man injured by cut limb
A 35-year-old man was seriously injured while trimming a tree July 14, 2015, in Wahiawa, Hawaii. The tree trimmer was on a boom truck when he cut a branch and it fell on him. The man was taken by ambulance to a hospital in serious condition, according to a Star-Advertiser report.
Contributed by Carol Kwan, owner of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Lift operator pinned by cut limb
A tree limb weighing more than a ton landed on a private contractor trimming a large tree, pinning his leg July 14, 2015, in Haddonfield, New Jersey.
Rescuers worked to free John Landi, 52, of Audubon, N.J., during a storm. The private contractor had been using a bucket or platform lift to work on the large tree. A large limb pinned his leg against the platform he was working from, according to a WCAU NBC 10 report.
Homeowner struck by cut tree
A property owner was seriously injured July 16, 2015, in Rushville, New York, while cutting down a tree that had partially fallen. Mahlon R. Sauder, 51, was listed in satisfactory condition at a hospital the next day.
The tree broke while Sauder was cutting it and it fell toward him, pushing him backward and pinching his left leg against another tree. This caused severe lacerations to Sauder’s left leg near his knee.
The tree moved unexpectedly due to the top of the tree being hung up in the limbs of another tree, according to a Daily Messenger report.
Line trimmer killed by falling tree
A worker for a line clearance contractor died July 23, 2015, in Knoxville, Tennessee, after a tree fell on him, causing fatal injuries. The man was trimming and removing vegetation, according to a WBIR TV-10 report.
Man injured in fall from lift
A man sustained non-life-threatening injuries after falling from a platform lift while working on tree July 27, 2015, in Fallston, Maryland. The 40-year-old man was hospitalized for his injuries.
The victim, who was not a commercial tree trimmer, was trimming a tree on residential property, according to the Baltimore Sun report.
Contractor, 79, electrocuted
A man trimming orchard trees from a lift was electrocuted July 27, 2015, in Fresno, California. He died from electrical shock and/or burns.
The victim was hired by an orchard owner to trim walnut trees on a piece of private property. The victim was inside the steel basket of the lift and came in contact with a live power line, which resulted in a fire. Two employees at the neighboring San Joaquin Country Club called 911, then quickly grabbed a garden hose and extinguished the fire. However, the victim’s injuries were too severe to overcome.
Family members of the victim say he was not what is considered to be a professional tree trimmer, but had experience performing this type of work, according to a Fresno County Sheriff's Office report on www.fresnosheriff.org.
Lift operator killed when truck tips
A tree trimmer was killed in a fall from an aerial lift bucket while crews were removing trees July 28, 2015, in Northampton, Pennsylvania.
The man was ejected from a bucket above a truck after the truck tipped over. The bucket landed on top of the victim, an employee of an Ivyland, Pa., tree service.
The initial call said the worker was conscious and bleeding from the mouth. When officers arrived, they found the man wasn’t breathing and CPR was started by several witnesses and Northampton firefighters. The injured worker was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Bucks County Courier Times report.
Tree worker dies in chipper accident
A worker with a local tree company died July 29, 2015, in Davenport, Iowa, after being pulled into a wood-chipper.
Police and firefighters responded to a report of a worker injured by a wood chipper. Upon arrival, police determined that the person had died, and no foul play is suspected, according to Dispatch/Argus and KWQC TV6 reports.
Climber killed in fall
A climber died after a fall July 29, 2015, in Riverside, California. Miguel Martinez, 32, of Riverside was wearing a safety harness, but unclipped to reach a hard-to-access branch. He fell while trying to refasten it. Martinez fell 30 to 50 feet, and was in critical condition when paramedics took him to Riverside Community Hospital. He died that evening, according to a report in The Press-Enterprise.
Climber hurt in fall
A man was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in a helicopter after falling about 20 feet from a tree July 29, 2015, in Saxonburg, Pennsylvania.
The man was part of a tree-service crew that was cutting down and trimming trees on the property. He was unconscious after the fall, according to a Butler Eagle report.
Operator shocked in bucket
A 78-year-old Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey, man was severely injured July 31, 2015, in Vineland, N.J., while trimming trees using an industrial lift.
Emergency rescue teams and firefighters were dispatched to the scene for a possible electrocution and arrived to find the man crumpled on the edge of a lift extended into the air next to utility lines. Crews from the Vineland Electric Utility cut feeder power where the lift truck was parked.
Firefighters pulled the unconscious man from his bucket and got him back to the ground. The man was reportedly breathing when he was taken by ambulance and helicopter to a hospital. The man was reportedly trimming trees for a friend, according to a report in The Daily Journal.
Tree worker dies from heat stress
This item was missed in the August TCI Magazine account of June accidents.
Michael Buracker, 32, of Luray, Virginia, died as a result of heat stress while trimming trees June 18, 2015, for a Front Royal, Va., tree service, according to an OSHA fatality report.
June 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Tree worker injured when crane tips
A tree crew member was injured when a crane being used for a tree removal overturned June 3, 2015, in the East Falls section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Penn Charter School had contracted with the tree service company to take down a diseased tree at the front of the school. The worker was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a WPVI-TV Philadelphia Action News 6 report.
Bucket collapse injures operator
A bucket operator was seriously injured when the aerial bucket he was working from crashed to the ground while trimming trees June 3, 2015, in Springdale, Pennsylvania.
The bucket truck, owned by an Upper Burrell, Pa., tree service, was being used to trim large evergreen trees. Joe Henry, 41, was in the bucket about 40 feet up when the hydraulic piston on the boom snapped and dropped the bucket.
Henry was using a chain saw and, when the bucket came down, the chain saw hit him in the head and cut him. Henry suffered four broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken wrist and a head injury above the right eye. He was restrained by a safety harness, which prevented him from being thrown from the bucket and possibly sustaining more injuries.
The truck is a 2006 model and is well-maintained, according to the company owner. A federal OSHA inspector at the scene directed the owner to preserve the hydraulic cylinder that powers the boom so that it can undergo metallurgical testing in an effort to determine what happened, according to a Trib Total Media report.
Landscape worker suffers chain saw cut
A worker using a 24-foot ladder while cutting branches off a palm was injured June 9, 2015, in St. Augustine, Florida, when the chain saw he was using kicked back, cutting his arm.
When deputies arrived, they found the 26-year-old landscaping worker, who was employed by a local tree service company, bleeding severely. He was transported by a medical helicopter to a hospital.
The man was working alone at the time of the incident, according to a WJAX-TV report. The owner of the company apparently stated that the employee only received a few stitches.
Worker pinned under cut tree
A tree service worker was rescued June 12, 2015, after being pinned by a tree he was cutting down in the backyard of a home in Atlanta, Georgia.
When the tree fell in the wrong direction, part of it fell on a home and part fell on the worker, trapping him beneath it. The Atlanta Fire Department was called to the home to rescue the worker.
The injured worker was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. There was no word on his injuries at the time of the WSB-TV/Channel 2 report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed June 16, 2015, in Georgetown, Kentucky, after a tree he was cutting fell on him.
Philip Wise was using a chain saw to cut down the tree when it fell on top of him. It took four emergency responders to lift the tree off of Wise, who was unconscious at the time. He was taken to Georgetown Community Hospital where he later died, according to a WKYT news report.
Tree worker injured in struck-by
A 19-year-old tree care service worker was seriously injured June 17, 2015, in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, when a 50-pound log fell nearly 35 feet and struck her in the head.
A crew member in an aerial lift had been tying ropes around logs and lowering them to the ground, 30 to 35 feet below. One log, about 3 feet long and weighing about 50 pounds, fell free, striking the employee. It was unclear how the log fell, whether it had come loose from the rope or fell before rope had been tied around it.
The woman, who was wearing a protective helmet, was in and out of consciousness at the scene. She appeared to have suffered a head injury and was bleeding from her nose, a witness told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and triblive.com. She was talking and awake while being transported to the hospital, according to the reports.
Climber dies in fall
A self-employed tree care worker died June 18, 2015, after he fell from a tree he was cutting in the area of Castle Rock, Washington.
Dale Buck, 60, of Ridgefield, Wash., died when a cut section of the tree fell. It was either rigged to or struck the tree, shaking it and knocking Buck at least 30 feet to the ground. Authorities believe Buck died instantly.
Buck’s safety harness appeared to not have been properly secured.
Buck was self-employed under a company called The Treeman, according to a report from The Daily News and The Columbian.
Man shocked trimming palm
A man trimming a palm somehow touched electric wires and was shocked June 18, 2015, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Florida Power & Light Co. was called to de-energize the lines, and the fire department sent its technical rescue team to bring the man to the ground. Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue helped the victim down a ladder and took him to Broward Health Medical Center with critical injuries, according to a Sun Sentinel report.
Tree worker hurt in 30-foot fall
A tree service employee was hospitalized after falling 30 feet while on a job June 18, 2015, in Washington Township, New Jersey. The worker was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with a serious back injury, chest pains and difficulty breathing, according to a Cliffview Pilot report.
Tree worker shocked
A tree service worker was flown to an area hospital after he was shocked while cutting trees June 23, 2015, in German Township, Pennsylvania. The man was working for a subcontractor hired to cut trees along the road as a part of a street resurfacing contract with the state Department of Transportation, according to a Herald-Standard report.
Operator dies when bucket fails
A 74-year-old tree worker was killed June 23, 2015, in Gainesville, Florida, when the aerial lift bucket he was working from failed, dropping him to the ground.
Wayne Norton, of Gainesville, was trimming limbs of trees that had been gnarled by a storm when the boom on one of his older bucket trucks gave way, throwing him to the ground 30 feet below. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Norton had been trimming trees around Gainesville for 53 years, as of late under the badge of Alachua Tree Service.
“He was still climbing trees at the age of 74,” Norton’s son, Woody Norton, told The Gainesville Sun.
Norton’s son said his dad put service before profits, and in many cases, he completed work at cost. “That was whatever he needed to cover gas and labor,” Norton said. “He would just help people like that.”
Tree worker hit by limb
A tree care company employee suffered life-threatening injuries when a piece of a tree he was trimming hit him in the head June 23, 2015, in Littleton, Massachusetts.
The man had been working on an 80-foot pine tree when a section of the treetop fell and struck him in the head. The section was approximately 5 feet long and 8 to 10 inches in diameter.
The victim, 26, from Ayer, Mass., was flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, according to a WCVB-TV Channel 5 report.
Man injured in fall from tree
A man was recovering after falling from a large tree he was preparing to cut down June 24, 2015, in Wedowee, Alabama.
Anthony Higgins, 41, apparently became tangled in his rope and fell about 20 feet, landing on his back. Southern Ambulance Transport took Higgins to meet a helicopter. He then was taken to University Hospital in Birmingham, according to a Randolph Leader report.
May 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Man dies removing tree from roof
A man helping remove a tree that had fallen onto the roof of a residence died after the tree landed on top of him May 4, 2015, in Gainesville, Texas.
Samuel Blane Wilson, 52, was one of three men attempting to remove the tree. Wilson was beside the residence, below the center portion of the tree when it gave way and rolled off the roof. The tree fell on Wilson, pinning and killing him.
One man helping Wilson was transported to North Texas Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries, according to a Gainesville Daily Register report.
Man cuts self with chain saw
A man who cut his leg with a chain saw May 5, 2015, in Gainesville, Texas, was not critically injured, but was transported to a hospital for treatment, according to a Gainesville Daily Register report.
One dead, three hurt in crash into a disabled tree truck
A motorist was killed and his daughter injured when their car struck a disabled tree truck on the side of the road May 7, 2015, in Dayton, Ohio. Two tree care company workers received minor injuries in the crash.
James Terrance Phelps Jr., 30, was pronounced dead at the scene after he crashed his black 2010 Nissan Maxima into a broken down tree trimming truck along the side of Route 49. His 3-year-old daughter suffered critical injuries in the crash.
Phelps struck one of two tree trucks pulled off onto the side of the road. It appeared the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and probably lost control and hit the rear end of the truck that was disabled. Two men inside one of the trucks were not injured. The two injured men had been outside trying to fix the truck. One of the men was taken to Miami Valley Hospital and the other declined medical attention, according to a WHIO-TV report.
Climber dies in fall
A tree climber died after falling from a tree May 7, 2015, in Canton, Connecticut. Gregory C. Warrick, 55, of Manchester, Conn., was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in the Hartford Courant.
Warrick was working for a tree care company based in Windsor Locks, Conn., according to a WFSB Eyewitness News 3 report.
Climber injured in fall
A man trimming a tree May 8, 2015, in Peconic, New York, on Long Island, fell and suffered a back injury. The man appeared to suffer a serious injury and was airlifted to Stony Brook University Medical Center. It was unclear what company the man – who spoke limited English – was working for at the time of the accident, according to a report in The Suffolk Times.
Bucket operator dies when boom fails
A worker with a tree care service died May 8, 2015, in Enterprise, Alabama, after the boom arm of an aerial lift truck he or she was operating failed, causing the bucket and the victim to fall.
The victim was transported to Southeast Alabama Medical Center by helicopter, but died from the injuries sustained in the accident, according to an Enterprise Ledger and Dothan Eagle report.
A picture in another news account of this incident showed an old, utility-body aerial lift where the fiberglass upper boom sheared off clean just above the knuckle.
Woman killed helping fell tree
A woman who was critically injured when a tree fell on her May 8, 2015, in Westwood, Ohio, near Cincinnati, subsequently died from her injuries, according to a WCPO Channel 9 report.
Ronica Riddle, 50, of Price Hill, was injured as she helped her fiancée, Curtis Harper, on a tree-cutting job, according to a WLWT-TV NBC Channel 5 report. Harper does odd jobs, including tree trimming, and was working for a homeowner who needed a dead tree taken down.
Harper was cutting it, and Riddle was helping to guide the tree. The homeowner said Harper had one end of a rope around her waist and the other attached to the tree. It appeared the weight of the tree pulled Riddle into the tree as it fell.
She suffered three fractures to her skull and a broken neck, according to the WLWT-TV NBC Channel 5 report.
Bucket operator shocked by power lines
A bucket operator trimming trees was shocked by power lines May 11, 2015, in San Angelo, Texas.
The man was working for a tree trimming service when he somehow became entangled with 7200-volt power lines. He was shocked when the equipment he was using became energized.
When the fire department arrived on the scene to rescue him, they were prevented from touching the machinery because it was still hot with electrical charge, and the man was still inside the energized bucket in the air. While waiting for the power company to arrive to cut the power, the man fell out of the bucket, falling approximately 40 feet to the ground.
EMS started treatment and the victim left the scene still alive in an ambulance, but his condition was unknown, according to a sanangelolive.com report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed May 11, 2015, in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, while cutting a tree for firewood.
David J. Osmun, 74, told his wife he was going to do some work out back on their property while she went to the grocery store. When she arrived home, she looked for him and found him face down under a tree and called 911. Blue Ridge Hook and Ladder fire company members used saws to free him from the tree.
Osmun often cut wood with his chain saw for a wood burning stove. The tree was dead and probably broke before he thought it would, falling in an unexpected direction, according to a source quoted in a report in The Pocono Record.
Operator hurt when lift struck by truck
The driver of a semi trailer truck ran into a parked tree trimming truck May 11, 2015, in Madison Township, Ohio, injuring the lift operator. The lift operator suffered minor injuries in the crash, according to the Journal-News report. It was unclear from the report if the truck struck the lift platform or the vehicle itself.
Tree service owner killed climbing
The owner of a tree and landscape service company was killed by a piece of the tree he was felling May 12, 2015, in Dawson County, Georgia.
Christopher Bartlett, 28, was cutting the top of an oak tree at a private residence when the branches swung around and pinned him against the tree trunk. Two co-workers on the ground didn’t see what happened because they were on the other side pulling a tension rope, and Bartlett was about 35 feet up in the tree.
Crews from Forsyth County’s rescue unit and Sawnee EMC were called in to assist Dawson County Emergency Services in extricating Bartlett from the tree, which took about two hours, according to a Dawson Community News report.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
The Las Vegas Fire Department rescued a man who became struck while trimming a palm May 16, 2015, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The man, who was trimming the palm, sustained minor back injuries, but was not taken to a hospital for treatment, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal report.
Landscape worker injured in wood chipper
A landscaper was taken by helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital after being injured in a wood chipper incident May 16, 2015, in Mashpee, Massachusetts.
The man, in his 30s, injured his leg in the wood chipper, but was alert and in stable condition when taken by MedFlight helicopter to Rhode Island Hospital, according to a capecodonline.com report.
A comment on the website indicated that the victim was “sitting up and you could see both his feet” as he was being taken to the helicopter. The commenter added that, “They reported on the Cape that his leg became entangled in a rope and it pulled him in and he pushed the emergency shut off.”
A WCVB-TV 5 TV report also reported that, “The man was able to hit the emergency stop button on the wood chipper after his leg became stuck.”
Three dead, two hurt in lift mishap
Two children and a man died and two other children were injured after the aerial lift platform they were in tipped over May 24, 2015, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Ken Raschick, 56, and his 12-year-old nephew died at the scene. Kevin Raschick, 7, Ken Raschick son, died five days later. Kevin’s elder brother, Bobby Raschick, 10, was in stable condition, and an unidentified 10-year-old boy, said to be a neighbor, remained on life support.
The accident occurred when Ken Raschick, owner of Ken’s Tree Co., and the boys got into the bucket of the platform lift and the boom was extended to about 60 feet. The lift, which was not on the ground but on a flatbed trailer, was parked in the equipment yard of Raschick’s tree business.
Raschick was known for giving children rides in the lift in the past, according to a 30-year friend and an employee of Raschick’s, though he never knew of Raschick to extend the crane so high during such rides. Neither was he aware of Raschick ever giving rides while the crane was sitting on a flatbed trailer, the employee told the Albuquerque Journal.
The employee, who arrived at the scene after the accident occurred, noted that the ground in the equipment yard had been saturated by rain. He speculated that the tires on the left side of the trailer began to sink into the ground and the crane began to lean and then fell over with a microburst of wind.
The boom crushed the cab of an adjacent truck and extended over a high fence into the paved street, where the bucket slammed down, according to the Journal report.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A man died May 27, 2015, in Knox County, Indiana, when he was struck in the head by a piece of a tree adjacent to one he was cutting.
Steven M. Thais, 57, had been clearing brush on his property. The sheriff's office had received a call of a missing person and deputies found Thais approximately 100 yards from his home in a wooded area. Thais was pronounced dead at the scene by the Knox County coroner, according to a WFIE 14 News report.
Ground worker killed in bucket truck accident
A tree care company ground worker was killed May 28, 2015, in Cumberland County Pennsylvania, when the aerial lift he was working with failed and he was struck by the falling bucket.
Michael Shaud, 53, of Middletown. Penn., was cleaning up debris from the ground while another employee was up in a bucket truck trimming trees. The bucket boom malfunctioned, collapsed and the bucket struck Shaud. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The lift operator was thrown from the bucket and sustained serious injuries. He was airlifted to Hershey Medical Center, according to a WGAL 8 NBC report.
Man killed by felled tree
A homeowner was killed May 29, 2015, in Fort Kent, Maine, while trying to pull a tree over with a tractor.
Lowell Guerrette, 62, was working on his property, where he was attempting to fell a large tree. Guerrette had attached a cable to the tree in an attempt to pull it with a compact tractor after attempts to saw it had failed.
Guerrette apparently struck his head when being thrown from the tractor, and it appeared Guerrette may have struck the tractor’s roll bar. He was found lying next to the tractor by his wife shortly after the incident occurred. Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful and Guerrette was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a St. John Valley Times report.
April 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Bucket operator killed when tree hits lift
An aerial lift bucket operator was killed April 1, 2015, in Attica Township, Michigan, after being knocked from the bucket by a cut section of a tree he was working on.
Jeremy Machiela, 35, of Columbiaville, Mich., and four family members were removing two trees at a privately owned residence. The trees were an estimated height of 60 feet with 2-foot-diameter trunks. The bucket lift was used to cut a tree located near a shed on the property.
Machiela was in the bucket about 30 feet off the ground. A chain saw was used to cut the tree, while three men used a rope attached to the upper section of the tree being removed to control the fall. But the upper section of tree did not fall as anticipated and hit the lift.
The lift and tree fell onto the roof of the nearby shed, collapsing the roof. Machiela was wearing a harness, but was ejected from the bucket and hit the roof, according to the release. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This case was under investigation by the Lapeer County Sheriff’s Office, according to an MLive-Flint Journal report.
County worker killed by cut tree
A county worker was killed April 1, 2015, in Warwick, Orange County, New York, after being struck by a tree he was helping take down.
Tonny Teskera, 38, a longtime employee of the county’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, was part of a crew clearing trees and debris on the entrance road to a county golf course. Teskera was killed when a 40-foot tree being cut down by two other workers fell in his direction, causing a severe head injury.
The crew immediately began emergency first aid, and Teskera was taken to nearby St. Anthony Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Times Herald-Record report.
Man killed helping neighbor fell tree
A man helping his neighbor cut down a tree April 3, 2015, in Holbrook, Massachusetts, was killed when a limb fell on him.
“It hit him right on the top of his head,” a neighbor, Jayzell Robinson, who rushed in to help the man after the accident, told WHDH TV. “He laid straight out. He was unconscious right when it hit him.”
That neighbor and others on the scene gave the 41-year-old victim mouth-to-mouth and CPR as they waited for the ambulance. The victim was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Holbrook Police Chief William Smith urged residents to use “common sense” and hire a professional tree company when it comes to doing dangerous yard work, according to the WHDH TV 7NBC report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man died April 4, 2015, in Northfield, Minnesota, after attempting to cut a tree down and being pinned underneath it.
Randal Mitchell, 39, did not want the tree to hit a nearby barn, and had attached a safety cable to the tree. However, the tree fell in the opposite direction than intended and pinned Mitchell underneath.
Emergency responders attempted to perform CPR on Mitchell, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a 5 Eyewitness News KSTP-TV report.
Firefighters rescue climber from palm
Fire crews rescued a tree trimmer trapped in a palm April 9, 2015, in the Bay Park area of San Diego, California.
Responding firefighters used ladders to reach the 47-year-old man trapped inside the palm’s frond skirt. He was dangling upside down, covered in dirt and debris from the tree, but conscious. He could be seen talking to firefighters while still wedged in the fronds of the tree about 35 feet up in the air.
Firefighters secured a line to hoist the man out while clearing away debris from the palm. The man appeared to be in a harness still and was able to make some movements. Once on the ground, he was strapped to a gurney and taken away by ambulance.
The trimmer works for an Escondido-based company contracted by San Diego Gas & Electric to clear the tree growth away from power lines in the neighborhood. He scaled the palm on a rope system, anchored himself inside the tree and started working. That’s when a ring of the vegetation began to break loose. The only thing keeping the vegetation from falling to the ground was the man’s body and his harness and rope system. In many cases like this, the trimmer does not survive, San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Glen Holder told NBC 7 San Diego.
“Many times this is a body recovery because the weight of the skirt will basically collapse their body in half and they’re unable to breathe,” Chief Holder explained.
The chief said crews have a plan in place for rescues like this.
“Tactically, our initial plan is, you want to get a ladder tip to the top of the palm skirt and cut from the top down so you’re taking the weight off the person as you’re removing the fronds,” he said.
Chief Holder said he and his crew were relieved with the successful rescue effort. “I’m one really proud chief today. This is just an outstanding job. It demonstrates a commitment to training. We basically saved somebody’s life today, so it’s, I’m one very proud chief right at this moment.”
Cal OSHA will investigate the incident, according to the NBC 7 San Diego report.
Man dies helping neighbor cut tree
A man died after being struck by a tree while helping a neighbor clear property April 12, 2015, in Princeton, Massachusetts.
Keith T. “Thomas” Stafford, 65, of Princeton, was hit by a tree while he and friends were clearing a wooded area to improve the view. More than a dozen emergency workers rushed to Gregory Hill Road after the call came in. Crews found Mr. Stafford with a severe head injury, unconscious but still breathing.
Crews got to the address in less than five minutes, but it took 15 minutes to get to Mr. Stafford because they had to trek across a field and down into the woods and climb over trees to get to him. He was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus in Worcester, where he died the next day, according to a Worcester Telegram report.
Woman seriously injured by cut tree
A woman was airlifted to the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, April 12, 2015, after she was struck by a tree being cut down in Townsend, Mass.
The victim was hit by the falling tree at a home and firefighters were dispatched to help carry the woman from the accident scene to a landing site at the Spaulding Memorial School.
While the woman was struck by the falling tree, she was not pinned under it, but she did suffer “significant” injuries, according to a report in The Republican and on MassLive.com. Authorities did not immediately know what went wrong to cause the tree to fall in the wrong place, according to the report.
Worker suffers head injury in struck-by
A worker remained hospitalized for treatment of a head injury in May after being injured in a struck-by incident while helping remove a tree April 13, 2015, in Armstrong Township, Pennsylvania.
Wayne Sias Jr., 27, was still being treated at Forbes Regional Hospital in Monroeville, where he was flown by LifeFlight medical helicopter following the accident. Part of a local tree care company crew hired for the job, he was apparently hit by a piece of the tree that was being cut down, according to The Indiana (Pa.) Gazette.
Climber killed in struck-by
A man was killed April 15, 2015, in Oakland Township, Michigan, when a portion of tree he was cutting kicked back, striking him.
According to a Michigan OSHA report, the 49-year-old laborer was aloft in the base of a tree trunk where the two sections meet up (tree crotch) removing a trunk section. The trunk section kicked back after being cut, striking the employee resulting in fatal injuries.
The victim worked for a landscaping company, according to a WWJ Newsradio 950 report.
Homeowner cut by chain saw
A Clinton Township, Pennsylvania, homeowner was taken to the hospital April 18, 2015, after he injured himself cutting a tree with a chain saw.
The 60-year-old man was cutting down a tree stump when the chain saw kicked back and struck his leg. Police responded and found the man with bandages on his leg and lying on his back.
The Clinton Rescue Squad took the man to Morristown Medical Center for further treatment, according to the Lehighvalleylive.com and The Express-Times report.
Injured climber rescued from tree
A climber was rescued after getting injured and being stuck 40 feet up in a tree April 21, 2015, in Portland, Oregon.
The man told rescuers he was trimming the tree when his chain saw kicked back, hitting him in the right arm. The man had to use his other hand to put pressure on the cut to stop the bleeding.
Firefighters climbed up ladders and stabilized the man’s injury. They then set up a high-angle rope system and lowered the man to the ground safely. The man was alert and talking during the rescue.
The man, whose name has not been released, was treated at the scene and then taken to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, according to a KPTV - FOX 12 report.
Climber killed when tree fails
A tree care company employee was killed April 28, 2015, in Raleigh, North Carolina, when a tree he was working in apparently failed and he fell with it to the ground.
A co-worker who called 911 reported that the victim, Anthony Wright, 29, of Mebane, N.C., was climbing a tree at a residence and it broke from the bottom, and that Wright fell about 45 feet. The tree came to rest on top of Wright’s legs. The co-worker attempted CPR while waiting on rescue workers, but to no avail, according to an ABC11 Eyewitness News report.
Climber dies in fall with cut limb
A climber died April 28, 2015, in Pitman, New Jersey, when the large limb he cut apparently pulled him with it.
John “Jack” Love, 47, of Mantua, N.J., was working in a maple tree when the weight of a branch he had just cut off pulled down the branch to which he was secured. The cut branch, which was nearly 2 feet in diameter at its widest point and 26 feet long, landed on top of him after a 30-foot fall.
The victim’s brother, Thom Love, an emergency room doctor, lives near the scene of the accident, was summoned to the area, and worked to save his brother. However, Jack was pronounced dead at Cooper Hospital in Camden a short time later. As traumatic as the situation may have been, Thom said he was glad to be there for his brother.
“I was with him where he was first injured. I would not have been satisfied if I hadn’t been there,” he told Gloucester County Times and NJ.com. “Nobody wants to do CPR on their brother, but I was there for him, and he wouldn’t have wanted anything else.”
Climber dies after cutting own line
A climber trimming a palm fell about 40 feet to the ground April 28, 2015, in Fresno, California, suffering fatal injuries, apparently after cutting his own safety line. Kevin Sanford, 30, was rushed to the hospital, but later died, according to reports in The Fresno Bee.
Contributed by Carol Kwan, a Certified Arborist and operator of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed April 28, 2015, in Jacksonville, Illinois, when the tree he was cutting down fell on him.
Bruce Taylor, 59, of Jacksonville was using a chain saw on a tree when the tree fell onto him, causing immediate death due to a massive head injury, according to the Morgan County coroner, as reported in The State Journal-Register.
March 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Parks manager critically hurt by cut tree
A manager at the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department was injured March 3, 2015, when a tree fell on him while crews were working at Hilltop Park in the Bayview neighborhood.
Robert Watkins, 56, suffered a broken ankle and non-life threatening injuries to his head and back when a large tree fell on him.
Watkins was overseeing a crew of tree trimmers when the tree fell in an unexpected way and crushed him. Shortly before the tree landed, Watkins noticed it was falling toward him and tried to run for safety, but was hit in the back and trapped underneath the canopy.
Other park employees helped Watkins out from under the tree, before paramedics arrived and took him to San Francisco General Hospital.
Watkins broke his right ankle, tore ligaments in the joint and suffered a concussion, according to a Cal/OSHA spokeswoman quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle. He may also have broken his back, according to a Chronicle report.
Homeowner hurt by cut tree
A Bellefontaine, Ohio, area man was seriously injured March 7, 2015, while cutting wood behind his home. Bob McPherson, 78, was listed in critical condition at OSU Wexner Medical Center after a large tree fell on him. The tree, located several hundred yards behind McPherson’s house, reportedly came to rest on Mr. McPherson’s lower left leg and pinned him.
A concerned neighbor discovered the incident and called 911 after noticing Mr. McPherson’s dog and vehicle were unattended. Bellefontaine Fire and EMS Department personnel had to cut away a large portion of the tree to free the injured man. McPherson reportedly sustained fractures to his legs and an arm, according to a report in The Bellefontaine Examiner.
Man killed by felled tree
A volunteer firefighter died after a tree he was cutting down fell on him March 8, 2015, in Laurens County, South Carolina.
Daniell Edward Kruger, 25, a volunteer firefighter with the Green Pond Fire Department, was cutting down a tree when it fell on him. Kruger tried to get out of the way but didn’t make it. He died from blunt force trauma in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, according to a WYFF 4 report.
Man dies trimming from ladder
A man was found dead after an apparent tree trimming accident March 10, 2015, in Zumbrota, Minnesota, about 25 miles north of Rochester.
A friend notified authorities when Dale Goplen, 73, of Zumbrota, didn’t show up for morning coffee on Wednesday. The Sheriff’s Office and Zumbrota Ambulance responded to Goplen’s residence home in Roscoe Township.
Goplen had apparently been using two ladders and a tractor with bucket to trim a branch 20-25 feet off the ground. The Sheriff's Office said it appears the branch broke off while Goplen was cutting it with a chain saw. The branch hit the ladder Goplen was on, sending him to the ground.
The accident is believed to have happened the day before he was found, according to the valleynewslive.com and KTTC Television report.
Operator killed when thrown from bucket
A tree service employee died March 10, 2015, after being thrown from the aerial lift bucket he was working in while cutting down a tree in Alexander, Arkansas.
Shelby Jackson, 46, of Pulaski County, was part of a crew using a bucket truck to cut down a tree in sections. The crew cut a large limb, apparently using the bucket’s boom to lower the limb to the ground. The limb dropped quickly, causing the boom to become unstable and throwing Jackson 35 feet to the ground from the bucket.
Jackson was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette report.
Trimmer shocked by power line
A landscaper trimming trees March 10, 2015, at a home in Palm Beach, Florida, received a severe electrical shock when a branch he was cutting hit a nearby power line.
The 50-year-old man received entrance wounds through his hands and exit wounds through the calf muscle of his legs.
The man was alert and talking upon arrival, and remained so. Palm Beach Fire-Rescue transported him to St. Mary’s Medical Center, and he was later flown by helicopter to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. His condition was not known, according to a report in The Palm Beach Daily News.
Man killed by cut tree
A 44-year-old Ridgely, Maryland, man was killed March 10, 2015, by a cut tree.
The man had been found unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene along the road in a residential neighborhood. Firemen determined he had been attempting to cut down the tree when it fell on him.
Maryland Occupational Safety and Health officials were investigating, and the medical examiner’s office was performing an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death and the man’s identity, according to the Delaware 105.9 FM report.
Operator killed rigging from bucket
A bucket operator died March 12, 2015, after falling 30 feet in a tree trimming accident. Jeffery Glenn, 50, of Wellsville, Utah, was working in the bucket of a utility truck when a rope connecting a nearby tree and the bucket snapped, launching him toward the ground.
Glenn, who was trimming a tree at the time, landed on a pile of wood. Multiple witnesses to his fall performed CPR, but Glenn was pronounced dead upon arrival at Logan Regional Hospital, according to the Deseret News report.
Item sent to TCI by Mark Malmstrom, Certified Arborist and owner of Total Tree Care, Inc. in Logan, Utah.
Man injured by cut tree
An Eldorado, Wisconsin, man was seriously injured when he was pinned by a tree while using a chain saw to cut it down March 14, 2015, in Fond du Lac, Wisc. The man, 39, was attempting to cut down the tree when his chain saw got stuck. While trying to dislodge it, a large portion of the tree broke off and fell on him. He was flown to Theda Clark Medical Center with serious injuries, according to a 1330 WHBL report.
Man injured after being trapped under cut tree
A man suffered a serious leg injury and was rushed to a South Bend hospital after being trapped under a tree he’d cut March 14, 2015, in Michigan City, Indiana.
The 34-year-old man, whose identity was not released, was trapped under a tree that was approximately 18 inches in diameter. The tree was approximately one-third of a mile in the woods, in muddy terrain. A friend who witnessed the accident called for help.
Firefighters and deputies attempted to lift the tree off the man, but were unable to do so due to the weight and size of the tree. Michigan City firefighters were called to the scene to assist their Springfield counterparts, utilizing a chain saw to cut the tree enough to remove the victim, according to a report in The Michigan City News-Dispatch.
Man hurt when limb knocks ladder
A man trying to cut a large limb from a tree was injured when he fell approximately 20 feet from a ladder to the ground March 21, 2015, in Shenango Township, Pennsylvania.
A next door neighbor said the tree limb fell and hit the base of the ladder, which knocked the man to the ground. The man was taken to Jameson Hospital, but his condition was unknown at the time of the WTAE-TV Action News 4 report.
Item sent to TCI by Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was killed while clearing trees March 24, 2015, in Henrico, Virginia. While removing trees, part of one tree fell on the worker, a 41-year old man.
The victim was dead by the time emergency crews arrived at the scene, according to a WWBT NBC12 report.
Tree worker injured after 40-foot fall
A tree worker fell about 40 feet from a tree that he was trimming March 30, 2015, at a home in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
The tree care company employee, who was conscious when emergency crews arrived on the scene, told police that he fell when his tree-climbing spikes became undone. No mention was made of his having been tied-in at the time of the accident.
He was taken to a hospital for treatment, but his condition was unknown immediately after the accident, according to the Fairfield Citizen report.
February 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Firefighters rescue climber stuck 75 feet up palm
Firefighters freed a tree trimmer who was stuck 75 feet up a palm and dangling upside down February 4, 2015, in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia, California.
The man climbed a palm and was cutting fronds above him when the skirt of dead fronds apparently broke loose and landed on the man. Fortunately the force knocked him upside down, so he was not suffocated by the fronds, but instead was left dangling upside down.
Firefighters used chain saws to cut the palm fronds, then tied a harness to the man and lowered him. He was taken to a hospital as a precaution, according to San Gabriel Valley Tribune and Pasadena Star-News reports.
Homeowner killed by cut limb
A man found dead February 9, 2015, in Satsuma, Florida, near Jacksonville, probably died two days earlier, on February 7, after a large limb fell on him while he was cutting a tree.
Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home after Kenneth Robbins, 61, had been found. No one had been in contact with Robbins since February 7, according to Florida Times-Union and First Coast News reports.
Robbins was apparently working alone trying to trim a tree in his yard, but a large branch fell on him, according to a report in the Palatka Daily News.
Lift operator dies in fall from bucket
An aerial lift bucket operator died after falling from the bucket while trimming trees around power line February 17, 2015, in North Versailles, Pennsylvania.
Charles Shahan, 48, of Mt. Pleasant, was trimming tree limbs when he fell 30 feet out of the bucket, according to a WTAE-TV channel 4 report.
Shahan had 25 years’ experience working in tree care and he was a member of the IBEW union local, according to information provided to TCIA staff.
First reported to TCIA by Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
County worked trapped, injured by cut tree
A county worker was hospitalized February 17, 2015, after a tree fell on him, trapping him, while clearing storm-damaged trees in Rockwood, Roane County, Tennessee.
Crews with the Roane County Highway Department were cutting down trees damaged in an ice storm. Scott Martin was cutting a tree and had notched it when it broke, falling the wrong way and striking him.
Martin was conscious as passersby and co-workers worked to free him and stabilize him. An ambulance took Martin to the Roane County Health Department. He was then flown to UT Medical Center, according to a WBIR TV-10 report.
Man electrocuted trimming near power lines
A man was electrocuted February 18, 2015, while trimming trees close to a power line in Fort Stockton, Texas.
Cecelio Galindo, 55, was killed instantly. Power was cut to 1,700 businesses and homes so that emergency responders could remove Galindo from the tree, according to a NewsWest 9-KWES-TV report.
Man killed, two others hurt in tree cutting incident
One man died and two others were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries after a tree cutting accident February 21, 2015, in Cayce, South Carolina.
Brandon M. Starnes, 31, of Lexington, S.C., died at the scene, a private residence, from the injuries he sustained. No other details were available, according to a Lexington Ledger report.
Homeowner killed cutting firewood
A man cutting a tree for firewood was killed February 25, 2015, in Dehli, Delaware County, New York. Ralph Hunt, 70, was attempting to cut a tree near his home when the tree fell on him, killing him.
Hunt, a retired dairy farmer, had spent the morning gathering firewood on a wooded hillside on his property. He had skidded a tree down to his farmhouse in the morning. When he didn’t return home for lunch, his wife called a friend to investigate. Members of the Delhi Fire Department, where Hunt had once served as chief and where he had volunteered since 1982, came to the property.
Fire Department members followed a farm tractor track to the top of the wooded property and discovered Hunt pinned beneath a tree and unresponsive, his chain saw and tractor running nearby. He was declared dead at the scene, according to the reports from The Daily Star and the Watershed Post.
Homeowner killed in tree cutting accident
A man was killed in a tree-cutting accident February 26, 2015, in Caldwell, Ohio.
David Korte, 65, of Sarahsville, was cutting a tree on his property when the tree broke and fell on top of him.
The man’s daughter called in a report of an injured person. She reported that her father was last seen by family members at around 1 p.m. He was found after 5 p.m. unresponsive. Korte was pronounced dead at the scene a short time after that, according to an AVC Communications/www.yourradioplace.com report.
January 2015 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine
Operator paralyzed in fall from bucket
A man was paralyzed in a fall after being thrown from an aerial lift bucket January 5, 2015, in Richmond, Virginia.
Mike Witt, 43, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, owner and operator of a landscape and tree service, was in a truck-mounted aerial lift bucket finishing a job at a home when the accident happened. He was about 15 feet off the ground and had just cut the top off a tree when it swung back and hit the bucket, ejecting him. He did a back flip before landing face down, according to his wife, Yoraima.
She immediately yelled to a second worker to call 911 and ran to her husband’s side, checking to see if he needed CPR. She said all of their employees are trained in CPR and first aid.
Witt could not breathe on his own, speak or move his limbs immediately after the accident. Witt did not sever his spinal cord in the accident, which is positive. However, he was still unable to move any of his limbs 10 days after the accident. He could shrug his shoulders and a test found some sensation in his right arm. He had surgery to repair the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae, and it was unclear how the swelling resulting from the initial trauma and the surgery was impacting his condition.
The Witts run their own business with only a few employees, and the work has stopped, according to the The Free Lance-Star report.
Sent in by Gary Teates, certified arborist, owner, Teates Enterprises, Locust Grove, Virginia.
Cut limb smashes car
A tree cut by construction workers smashed down onto a car seconds after a woman and an infant got out of the vehicle January 7, 2015, in Mandarin, Florida, near Jacksonville.
The tree apparently fell in a different direction than the workers intended, smashing the windshield and crushing much of the car, and just missing the mother and infant. Nobody was hurt, according to a WJXT and News4Jax.com report.
Trimmer killed in palm fronds
A man died January 11, 2015, in North Las Vegas, Nevada, after becoming trapped under a skirt of palm fronds while trimming the palm.
Responding firefighters found Daniel Wynn Smith, 46, of Las Vegas, stuck 25-to-30-feet up in the palm. When crews first arrived they could not see Smith because palm fronds were hanging down from the tree completely covering him.
Once crews were able to reach Smith with a ladder truck, they began to cut the palm fronds around him. It took crews 15 minutes to extricate him from the tree. Smith was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to a FOX5 KVVU-TV report.
Tree worker partially amputates leg with chain saw
A tree worker partially amputated his leg with a chain saw while cutting down a tree January 11, 2015, in Hope Township, New Jersey.
Jose Melendez, 64, of Fair Lawn, N.J., was flown to Morristown Medical Center following the incident at a home.
Melendez was an employee of a company cutting down a tree on the property, according to a lehighvalleylive.com and The Express-Time report.
Worker killed clearing trees for power lines
A worker was killed January 21, 2015, by a tree while his crew was clearing a wooded area for power lines in Lumpkin County, Georgia.
Brian Johnson, 27, of Cumming, Ga., and a Sawnee EMC (Electric Membership Corporation) worker, was struck by a cut tree and pronounced dead at the scene, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Patch.com report.
Man survives 50-foot fall from tree
A climber survived falling 50 feet from a tree being pruned January 22, 2015, in Carmel, Putnam County, New York.
The Putnam 9-1-1 Center received a call reporting a tree trimmer plummeting from a massive pine while cutting branches at the Patterson Baptist Church. Daniel Smith, 51, was airlifted by a medivac helicopter to the Westchester Medical Center late and was admitted, according to a Putnam County Courier report.
Tree worker hurt by wood from chipper
A tree worker suffered cuts and bruises January 23, 2015, in Holly Springs, North Carolina, after being struck by a chunk of wood kicked out of the chipper he was using.
“We had been removing a Bradford pear and were finished with the job and cleaning up. Part of our clean-up is to clean the feed tray out on the chipper. Our routine was to use a handheld blower to blow the feed tray trash into the chipper drum as it winds down,” Travis Vickerson wrote in an email to TCI Magazine.
But the drum knives kicked out a brick-sized piece that struck Vickerson.
“Fortunately I was wearing a face visor that deflected the brick sized piece from the bridge of my nose and toward my mouth. The resulting injury required two internal sutures and seven external sutures to sew my upper lip back together,” wrote Vickerson, a tree care company climber and grounds crew member.
“Since this incident we completely changed out clean-up procedure and chipper shut-down routine,” said Vickerson. “Hopefully someone will learn from this and no other company will do this.”
Shocked tree worker rescued
Firefighters rescued a climber who was shocked while trimming a tree approximately 55-feet in the air January 24, 2015, in Columbia, South Carolina.
Firefighters were able to complete a high angle rescue after SCE&G cut power to the area. The man was treated by EMS and was released at scene, according to a WIS TV Channel 10 report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed by a cut tree while helping a homeowner take it down January 25, 2015, in Mead Valley, California. Juan Mejia, 49, died when he was struck by the falling tree. Firefighters responded, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report on www.californiainjuryaccidentlawyer.com.
Man electrocuted trimming tree
A man was fatally electrocuted January 26, 2015, on a property west of Las Cruces, New Mexico. The 76-year-old man’s identity was not immediately released.
The man was apparently pruning pecan trees in a hydraulic lift and ran into a power line. The victim was not affiliated with the electric company, according to a Las Cruces Sun News report.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring throughout 2014
December 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree worker in serious condition after struck by car
A tree worker was seriously injured December 3, 2014, when he was hit by a car in West Whiteland, Pennsylvania. The worker was taken by ambulance to Paoli Hospital in critical condition.
The tree crew was apparently cleaning up from a job and had a person directing traffic when the incident happened, according to a Journal Register report.
Man hurt when cut tree falls on him
A man was injured December 4, 2014, after a tree he was cutting down fell on top of him and trapped him in Lower Price Hill, outside Cincinnati, Ohio.
Firefighters cut him out from under the tree and carried him up a hill to an ambulance.
The man suffered a broken leg and ankle, both non-life threatening, according to a FOX19-WXIX report.
One utility worker electrocuted, second hurt trimming trees
One utility worker died and another was hurt while the two were trimming trees around a power line December 6, 2014, in Houston, Texas. The person who died was electrocuted. Details on the injured worker weren’t immediately available. The incident happened as the contract crew was working in a residential neighborhood, according to an Associated Press report.
A KHOU-TV Channel 11 report indicated that the crew was moving power from an old pole to a new one when the electrocution took place.
Man critical after branch falls on his head
A man was in critical condition after being struck by a falling tree branch December 9, 2014, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Firefighters and emergency medical crews responded to reports of a person with a head injury and found a 44-year-old man unresponsive. Bystanders reported that the man was a part of a tree trimming crew.
It appeared that after the tree limb hit the victim in the head, it landed roughly 6 feet away from the man’s body. The limb itself measured 8-inches in diameter. The Indianapolis Star report said it was unclear how long the tree trimming crew waited before calling 911.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed December 12, 2014, in Hollywood, Maryland, after a large tree he was cutting fell on him.
James William “Billy” Morgan, 62, of California, had been working alone, cutting down large trees as a favor to the caretaker of property next to Sotterley Plantation in Hollywood, Md. When the caretaker, Richard Knott, came over to check on the progress of the work that evening, the saw was still running, and he found Morgan under the tree, dead.
Emergency responders lifted the tree with wood cribbing and air bags, and it took less than 15 minutes to get Morgan out, but responders were not sure how long Morgan had been under the tree.
Morgan usually did not cut down trees by himself, according to the caretaker, quoted in a Southern Maryland News Online report. “Why he went down there ... by himself, I’ll never know,” Knott said.
Members of Morgan’s family were considering making a tombstone for him out of the sawed-up chunks of the walnut tree that killed him, according to the report.
Man injured by stump grinder wheel
An Inkster, Michigan, man was critically injured December 11, 2014, when his leg got caught in a stump grinder.
The man, in his 30s, was working alone with the rented machine outside his home when he apparently stepped in front of the stump grinder while it was running and his leg was somehow pulled in and got stuck up to the thigh. The machine “mangled his entire left leg,” according to a CBS Detroit report.
Emergency crews had to call for help in extricating the victim, including from a doctor to sedate him. Once freed, the man was taken by Life Flight to University of Michigan Hospital in critical condition. Officials said the man’s leg would likely have to be amputated, according to the CBS Detroit report.
An updated Detroit Free Press report said that some level of amputation was still possible for the man, believed to be about 33 years old, but that he was in stable condition at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor.
According to the Free Press report, the man had rented the machine to grind tree stumps at his house and his neighbor’s house. As he was working, the man walked to the front of the machine, and the grinding wheel, which was still rotating, grabbed his pant leg and cut into him. The neighbor called 911.
Home owner killed in fall from ladder
A man fell to his death December 16, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida, while trimming a tree in his front yard.
Jimmy Lane Saffold, 68, of the Mandarin section of Jacksonville, Florida, was at a funeral that morning and returned home early to trim the tree. His family returned from the same funeral around 2 p.m. and found him lying in the yard.
He was using a chain saw and was 10 to 20 feet high when he fell, according to a Florida Times-Union report.
According to a WJXT News 4 Jax report, Saffold was 15 to 20 feet up on a ladder when he apparently lost his footing or the limb he was cutting hit the ladder, knocking him to the ground.
Homeowner fatally injured by cut tree
A man was fatally injured while attempting to cut down a tree near his cabin December 20, 2014, in Kokee, Kapaa Kauai, Hawaii.
Adrien “Eddie” Malina, 58, was in a utility boom truck trying to cut down the tree. A second tree that was leaning against the tree he was attempting to cut fell onto an unused utility line, and Malina became pinned between the truck bucket and the utility line.
Bystanders cut the line and helped Malina out of the bucket, but he’d sustained severe injuries to his chest, lungs and ribs. Malina was transported to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital, where he died, according to a report in Honolulu’s Star Advertiser.
Contributed by Carol Kwan, a Certified Arborist and operator of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Homeowner hurt cutting storm-damaged tree
A 76-year-old man was injured December 21, 2014, in San Jose, California, when a tree he was cutting off a gazebo at his home fell on him. Firefighters found the man pinned under the tree in the home’s backyard and transported him to a hospital. The man suffered a hand injury and minor scrapes to his arms and legs.
The tree had fallen onto the home’s gazebo during a storm a week earlier, according to a CBS Channel 5 KPIX report. The weight of the tree caused the gazebo to collapse, but it was unclear if that occurred before or after the man was injured.
Tree trimmer dies under palm fronds
A tree climber died after becoming trapped under a skirt of palm fronds December 22, 2014, in North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Arriving North Las Vegas Fire Department firefighters, responding to a report of a trimmer in distress, initially couldn’t see the man, because he was under the palm fronds, up in the tree. Firefighters reportedly had to cut down several fronds to reach him. By the time they reached him, he had died.
Friends identified the man as “Carlos” and said he was a father of two, according to a Channel 13 Action News report. A neighbor said the victim would ride a bicycle around the neighborhood and look for work, according to the report.
Climber electrocuted
A climber was killed December 26, 2014, in Lakeland, Florida, when a pole saw he was using to trim trees touched a live power line, electrocuting him.
A witness called police at about 4:30 p.m. to report a man stuck in a tree and on fire at an apartment complex. Emergency crews found Marlin David Poutre, 60, of Lakeland, apparently already dead and hanging from a safety harness about 20 feet above the ground. Lakeland Electric workers cut the power so crews could safely retrieve him.
A witness told police Poutre had been trimming trees at the complex at the request of the property owner, and was using a 30-foot ladder, a chain saw and a polesaw. The witness said Poutre was maneuvering the polesaw when it touched the power line, creating a large spark, according to the Tampa Bay Times report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man died December 30, 2014, during a wood cutting incident in Branch County, Michigan.
Deputies were dispatched to a wooded area in Butler Township where they found Shane Connin, 39, of Quincy, Mich., and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Connin had been helping someone cut down a tree and as the tree fell, a limb came off and landed on Connin, according to a WWMT Newschannel 3 report.
November 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2015 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Driver hurt when lift truck overturns
A tree worker was taken to the hospital November 4, 2014, after the aerial lift truck he was moving overturned in Maynardville, Union County, Tennessee.
The crew was doing contract work for the Knoxville Utilities Board around power lines on when the driver attempted to move the truck with the boom in the air. The boom contacted power lines and tipped the truck on its side. The driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. No one was in the bucket, according to a WATE Channel 6 ABC report.
Ground worker hurt by cut limb
A tree service worker was severely injured November 10, 2014, in Palatka, Florida, when he was struck in the head by a cut limb. The crew was clearing tree limbs near power lines for Florida Power & Light. A co-worker in the bucket of an aerial lift truck cut a limb that fell on the head of the 20-year-old worker below him.
Police say the worker was knocked unconscious, but he was moving and alert when emergency responders arrived. The injured worker was flown to a hospital, according to a WCTV and The Florida Times-Union report.
Climber rescued from palm fronds
A tree worker was rescued by firefighters after becoming trapped under a skirt of palm fronds November 10, 2014, in Bakersfield, California.
The man was trimming a palm from underneath the ring of dead palm fronds when the frond ring slid down the tree, pulling the man backward and trapping him for more than an hour 40 feet in the air.
While a co-worker supported the man from below, firefighters on an aerial ladder cut away the fronds and rescued him.
The victim complained of back pain and was taken to Kern Medical Center, according to a report in The Bakersfield Californian.
Operator dies in apparent bucket failure
A tree care company bucket operator died of head injuries after he fell or was thrown from a lift bucket that apparently malfunctioned November 12, 2014, in Zelienople, in western Pennsylvania. Paul Reese, 54, of Harmony, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene.
Reese was working for a tree care company when the pivot arm on a lift truck apparently malfunctioned. A witness says Reese was about 30 feet off the ground trimming trees before he was found on the ground with severe head injuries, next to the empty lift bucket.
Reese apparently hit the truck as he fell, and the falling lift bucket smashed a headstone, according to a WTAE-TV report.
Incident notice courtesy of Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Tree worker struck by wind-blown tree
A tree worker was injured while working on one tree November 24, 2014, in Anderson Township, Ohio, when a second large tree in a neighboring yard was blown over by wind and he was struck by the second tree. The worker was taken to the hospital to get checked out, but it appeared he was not seriously hurt, according to a WKRC Local 12 report.
Tree worker shocked aloft
Two climbers were rescued after one was critically injured by a power line November 25, 2014, in Simi Valley, California.
Both men were stuck about 50 feet high in a tree, and one was dangling and unconscious. A small fire was put out, and firefighters had to cut through the foliage to rescue the workers. Southern California Edison cut off the power during the rescue.
One worker was not injured and was safely rescued from the tree. The other was in critical condition and taken to a hospital, according to a Ventura County Star report.
Tree climber killed by palm fronds
A tree climber died November 25, 2014, in downtown San Diego when he was trapped under a large ring of palm fronds.
The climber was suspended by a harness about 40 feet off the ground when a large amount of fronds fell on him and pinned him. Firefighters reached the tree trimmer by using an aerial ladder but found him unconscious and unresponsive.
Once he was lowered to the ground, rescue personnel attempted CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Los Angeles Times report.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A line clearance subcontractor was flown to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center November 25, 2014, after a tree fell on him in Fallston, Maryland. The man suffered injuries to his upper body and was in serious condition.
The victim was removing a dead tree near the power lines when it, or a piece of it, fell, striking the man, who was on the ground. The victim was not pinned or trapped by the tree. He was taken by ambulance to the parking lot of a nearby church, where a Maryland State Police Medevac met him and flew him to the Shock Trauma Center, according to a report in The Baltimore Sun.
Tree climber killed in 50-foot fall
A man was killed after falling more than 50 feet while trimming a tree November 26, 2014, in Sweet Home, Oregon.
Raymond Launder, 59, was trimming trees with a friend when he detached his safety harness to move to a different location in a fir tree. The other trimmer heard Launder yell and turned around to see him on the ground and unresponsive.
Responders from the Sweet Home Fire Department pronounced him dead at the scene.
His friend, Richard Paulino, described Launder as an excellent tree trimmer, and investigators said they found no malfunction with his equipment, according to a KPTV-FOX 12 report
Resident killed by cut tree
A man was killed by a tree he and others were cutting down November 30, 2014, in Ryland Heights, Kentucky.
Stephen Price, 67, was helping family members cut down a large tree that was very close to the house. Price became pinned as the tree was pulled down. He died on board a University of Cincinnati Air Care helicopter, according to a WKRC Local 12 report.
October 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed by branch of cut tree
A man died in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, October 4, 2014, after being struck by the branch of a tree he was cutting.
Emergency responders found Lon Marotz, 76, or Norfolk, pinned under a large tree branch at a residence. Emergency crews were able to extricate Marotz and requested a medical helicopter, but Marotz died from his injuries before he was transferred to the helicopter, according to a report in The Plattsmouth Journal.
Operator dies when thrown from bucket
A tree care company owner was killed October 7, 2014, in Port Austin, Michigan, after being thrown from the bucket of his aerial lift.
Duane Andreski, 61, of Bad Axe, Mich., owner of Andreski Huron Tree Service, was hired by a local contractor to trim trees on a vacant lot. He was between two trees up in the air when the bucket or boom made contact with a branch and got stuck. When the branch came loose, the boom swung side to side, throwing Andreski from the bucket and some 45 to 50 feet to the ground.
Andreski was taken by ambulance to Huron Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Huron Daily Tribune report.
Man killed trimming palm
A man trimming a palm was killed October 11, 2014, in Visalia, California, when about 2,000 pounds of palm fronds came crashing down on him. When firefighters arrived at the home, the tree trimmer – who had been about halfway up the 50-foot palm and using a harness – was wedged in place under thick layers of the dried-up fronds he had been trimming.
Firefighters used an aerial ladder to get to the man and determined he was dead. Firefighters atop two aerial ladders used poles and hooks normally used to pull sections of burnt and water-soaked walls from buildings to rip loose the layers of fronds above the man until they uncovered him and got his body down.
Three men apparently were hired to trim old, dry fronds from the tall, lanky palm. The layers of fronds extended several feet down from the top of the tree.
One official at the scene said that it did not appear that the victim was a professional tree trimmer. The man killed had climbed up an extension ladder and then shimmied up the tree to get to the dead fronds, according to the Visalia Times-Delta report.
Tree worker dies in fall
A man died October 17, 2014, in Crownsville, Maryland, after falling approximately 60 feet from a tree he was working in.
Emergency responders found Timothy Cox, 50, of Edgewater, Md., in cardiac arrest. Resuscitation efforts began and the Maryland State Police helicopter was alerted and requested at the initial dispatch. But after initial efforts to revive Cox failed, he was pronounced dead on the scene, according to the blog southriversource.com.
Capital Gazette Communications reported that the fall was “at least 40 feet,” and that the victim was an employee of a landscaping company.
Woman seriously hurt by cut tree
A woman was expected to survive after being crushed by a tree October 19, 2014, in Bedford, New Hampshire. Firefighters said the woman was cutting down a large ash tree when it fell on her. She was taken to Elliot Hospital in Manchester with serious injuries, according to WMUR-TV.
Climber survives 57-foot fall
A tree trimmer says a bit of luck and the helmet on his head helped him survive what could have been a fatal fall October 21, 2014, in Ham Lake, Minnesota.
Eden Hanson, 23, of Pierz, Minn., fell nearly 60 feet, suffering a possible compression fracture in his neck, a broken arm, six broken ribs, a sternum fracture, and a lacerated liver and spleen, but his doctors say he will survive.
“I wore a safety helmet,” Hanson told KSMP-TV/Fox 9 News. “Doctors tell me that if I wouldn’t have worn that helmet, I don’t know if I would have made it.”
Hanson, who has been trimming trees for a few years, was up in an oak to take it down from top to bottom, but the tree couldn’t support the weight he put on it with his rope. “The whole top of the tree came down,” Hanson said.
The branch supporting Hanson snapped, and his co-worker estimated that he fell 57 feet to land on branches and debris below. Hanson believes the limbs he had already cut softened his blow, and couldn’t say enough about his helmet, which is now in pieces but clearly did its job.
Hanson is sharing the story to remind everyone that helmets save lives and that tree trimming should be left to the professionals, according to the KSMP-TV/Fox news report.
Woman injured when cut tree hits house
A woman was reaching for a glass in a kitchen cabinet when a huge tree being removed from the adjoining lot fell the wrong way, smashing into house in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, October 24, 2014. Patricia Montiel was taken by ambulance to Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center, where she was treated and released.
The owner of the rental house had hired some workers to remove what was described as a 200-year-old red oak, and they had cut off some limbs before it fell the opposite way from where they were trying to get it to fall.
A city ordinance requires all tree removal workers to be licensed to work in the city and be bonded. The workers were cutting down the tree for firewood and were not licensed or bonded, according to the Daily American Republic/Southeast Missourian report.
Climber dies after struck by cut limb
A climber died October 27, 2014, in Blacksburg, Virginia, after being struck by a branch while working aloft.
Matthew Raymond Miller, 23, was 50 feet off the ground in a tree when he was struck in the chest by a falling branch. He was taken in critical condition to LewisGale Hospital Montgomery, where he later died from his injuries, according to a report in The Roanoke Times.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker was struck by a falling tree and killed October 27, 2014, in Loveland, Ohio. The victim was believed to be a 35-year old from Northern Kentucky, but his identity had not yet been released. The man suffered major head and neck injuries, according to a FOX19-WXIX report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed October 30, 2014, in East Hanover Township, Pennsylvania, when he was hit by a falling tree. Turner L. Newburn, 70, of Annville, Lebanon County, was in the process cutting down a very large tree for firewood. When he made a cut into the tree, it fell on him, according to a WPMT FOX43 report.
Operator hurt in fall from bucket
A man was taken to a hospital in serious condition after falling from the lift of a bucket truck October 30, 2014, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The victim was trimming trees for a tree service company when something malfunctioned, sending the bucket and the worker to the ground, according to a Local 10/WPLG report.
September 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Two electrocuted trimming palms
Two men died September 6, 2014, after being electrocuted while trimming palms in Naples, Florida. The men were working on a 30-foot aluminum ladder that slipped and hit a live power line. The men were pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to a WOFL-FOX35 report.
Operator dies after knocked from bucket
A tree trimmer fell to his death while on the job September 13, 2014, in Madison Alabama.
Jason Buckley, 47, of Union Grove was flipped from a bucket and fell 60 feet to his death after a limb he was cutting struck the bucket’s arm.
Buckley was not wearing a safety harness, according to a WHNT News 19 report and AL.com/The Huntsville Times.
Man hurt after fall with chain saw in tree
A man trimming limbs from a tree September 12, 2014, in Holly Oak, Delaware, was injured when he fell 40-50 feet into the tree below and had to be rescued while bees swarmed around him.
The victim, believed to be in his 30s, was using a chain saw to cut limbs off a tall tree. Arriving firefighters and paramedics found the injured man wedged on a branch about 20 feet up in the tree. Claymont Fire Company responded with their high-angle rescue team to extricate the victim. It took an hour for rescuers to free the man because the job was further complicated by a nest of swarming bees.
The victim was treated on the scene for a large laceration to his left arm and other injuries. He was flown to Christiana Hospital where he was undergoing an assessment, according to a report in The News Journal.
“Shark” cuts hand with chain saw
Professional golfer Greg “The Great White Shark” Norman, 59, was recovering after cutting his hand with a chain saw September 13, 2014, at his home in Jupiter Island, Florida.
Norman told CNN he is lucky to still have his left hand after the accident.
Norman was hospitalized after suffering an injury while cutting limbs of a tree at this home. He had minor surgery to repair nerve damage and was expected to make a full recovery, according to the CNN report.
The report said Norman posted photos on Instagram showing himself in the hospital after his chain saw accident. “Working with a chain saw ALWAYS be respectful of the unexpected,” he reportedly wrote in one caption. “I was one lucky man today. Damaged, but not down & out. Still have left hand.”
Later he posted another photo with his left forearm in a foam device that helps keep the arm in place.
A week earlier, Norman, apparently had posted a picture of himself holding a chain saw next to a tree with several branches already severed. “Time to trim the sea grapes today,” the caption on that photo said. “Never ask someone to do something that you can do yourself. Love to work!” according to the CNN report.
Man dies limbing cut tree
A man died September 12, 2014, in Mount Pleasant, Texas, as a result of a fall while cutting a felled tree.
The huge old tree with a trunk reportedly 36 to 48 inches in diameter was already down and the man was cutting it apart. Jason Milner, 43, of Mount Pleasant, was working with a chain saw and had cut a large limb, but it did not fall, and, after putting the chain saw down, he climbed up into the tree to push the limb free.
After he dislodged the limb, the tree shifted, throwing Milner to the ground. He struck his head and was killed. Milner was pronounced dead a short time later, according to a report in the Mount Pleasant Daily Tribune.
Tree worker killed in wood chipper
A tree worker died September 18, 2014, in Chandler, Arizona, after getting pulled at least partially into a wood chipper. The Arizona man, who died at the scene, was not immediately identified. The accident occurred around 10:15 a.m.
According to an Arizona Republic report, citing a police report, a man was trimming trees at a car dealership and was standing on top of the wood chipper. The man fell partially into the chipper and suffered a fatal wound. At least one other worker was with the victim at the time of the incident, police said, but investigators believe it was an accident.
Local news footage from the scene showed a portable wood chipper parked behind a truck bearing a logo for a local tree pruning service, according to the Arizona Republic report.
Tree worker hurt in fall
A worker for a local tree service was seriously injured September 22, 2014, at a job in Townsend, Massachusetts.
The man was working in a tree when his support cable snapped and he fell to the ground. The man was suspended about 50 feet from the ground at the time of the incident.
The worker suffered leg trauma as a result of the fall and was transported to UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, according to a report in The Lowell Sun.
Climber injured when tree fails, falls on house
A tree service worker was hurt September 23, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida, after a tree being cut down failed, falling on and crushing the house tree workers were apparently trying to protect.
A climber from the tree service was on top of the tree cutting a limb when the tree failed and fell over with him on it. He suffered minor injuries.
When reporters arrived on scene, the power company had cut off electricity to the unit and the tree-trimming service was trying to remove the tree with a rope and a truck, according to a News4Jax report.
Operator dies in fall after limb strikes bucket
A tree trimmer was killed September 24, 2014, in West Feliciana, Louisiana, after a tree limb struck his elevated platform and sent him falling more than 40 feet to the ground.
Calvin Lofton, 44, of West Feliciana, was trimming trees when the limb snapped back and hit his elevated bucket, causing the bucket to break away from the boom truck. Lofton was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Advocate of Baton Rouge.
Operator dies in fall from bucket
A tree worker died September 26, 2014, after he fell from the bucket truck he was working from in Liberty, Texas. Christopher Lynn (Little Chris) Hunt, 22, of Dayton, Texas, died two days after the accident, on September 28, at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.
Hunt was working for a local tree service at the time and was bounced out of the aerial lift device he was working from, according to a report from The Vertikal Press.
A report by a family friend on www.gofundme.com said Hunt was about 35 feet in the air when he fell. It also said Hunt was engaged to be married and had a baby on the way.
Tree worker injured by cut branch
A 19-year-old tree worker was injured September 26, 2014, while working with a local tree service crew at a home in Norfolk, Connecticut.
The crew was removing a large tree from the home’s yard. They were cutting part of the top of the tree, and a limb struck the teen in the head and face.
The teen was taken to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington before being transferred to Hartford Hospital by Life Star helicopter. No further information was immediately available on his condition, according to the Republican-American report.
Tree trimmer hurt in fall
A tree service worker suffered serious injuries after falling from a tree September 28, 2014, in Green Township, Clark County, Ohio.
The man was flown to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. His identity was not released and his condition was not immediately available, according to the WHIO-TV Channel 7 report.
Tree worker using pole pruner shocked
A tree worker in Prairie Village, Kansas, suffered a shock September 29, 2014, after a metal pole he was using accidentally touched a live power line. David Harris, 44, of Kansas City, Kansas, was on the job when the accident happened.
According to a FOX 4 news report, Harris was knocked to the ground after the metal pole trimmer struck the wire. Neighbors heard him moaning and rushed to help. One neighbor started chest compressions, then two police officers arrived and used a defibrillator to revive the victim, who was then rushed to the hospital in critical condition by paramedics.
But he recovered quickly and talked to reporters after the event, crediting the neighbors with saving his life and suffering only a minor leg injury, and saying he’d been a bit too cocky and should have used a different tool, according to the Fox4 news report.
Man crushed by tree limb
A man was killed September 30, 2014, when he was crushed by a tree limb in Union Township, Ohio.
The man, an independent contractor, climbed the tree and was trimming one of its limbs when the limb broke, causing him to fall about 10 feet. The limb landed on top of him, killing him.
The man was not immediately identified, according to the WCPO TV report.
August 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber killed when spar splits
A 27-year-old climber died August 1, 2014, in Indianapolis, Indiana, when the spar he was on slabbed.
Antonio Pedro Torres had made a face cut and was in the process of making a back cut when the piece split longitudinally. The crew was using a tagline to pull the piece over, according to a report called in directly to TCIA staff.
Torres, a husband and father to a 3-year-old son, had been working in tree care at least eight years, and was a safety trainer in his most recent position, according to a report in The Indianapolis Star.
Homeowner injured by cut limb
A man was in critical condition after a limb fell from a tree that was being cut at his house hit him August 4, 2014, just outside Lufkin, Texas. A worker was about 25 feet off the ground cutting the limb when it fell and hit Tom Flournoy, 71, in the head, face and chest.
Flournoy took a hard hit to his face and head, and underwent surgery for a serious eye injury, but was expected to survive. Flournoy was initially unconscious at the scene, according to a report in The Lufkin News.
Operator dies when skidder goes in river
The driver of a skid steer died August 4, 2014, in Durango, Colorado, when the piece of equipment he was using to clear brush slid into the Animas River, trapping him inside. The skid-steer, which landed upside down in the river, had to be turned on its side with a crane to remove Charles William Huntoon Jr., 32, who was submerged for about 40 minutes.
Huntoon, owner of CH Property Service, a local contractor, was backing toward the river with an attachment on the skid-steer when the bank caved in, according to a report in The Durango Herald.
Sent in to TCIA by Dan MacVeigh, owner, Fire Ready of Pagosa Springs, Pagosa Springs, Colorado.
Landscaper dies in fall from tree
A landscaper died of injuries suffered when he fell an estimated 25 feet from a tree he was pruning August 5, 2014, at a home in Montgomery, New Jersey.
Rene Garcia-Juarez, 33, of N. Brunswick, New Jersey, was taken by State Police helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was initially listed in critical condition. He succumbed to his injuries on August 11, according to a report in The Record/Herald News.
Garcia-Juarez was found under the tree not breathing and without a pulse, and no one witnessed his fall. The tree was between 50 and 60 feet tall. Garcia-Juarez was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, according to a Princeton Packet report on centraljersey.com.
Worker crushed, killed by log
A one-ton log that rolled off a truck in Arlington, Virginia, August 6, 2014, fatally crushed a construction worker.
Crews were removing trees from a home under construction and had removed several. Franklin Talley, 30, of Spotsylvania, was attempting to secure a log to the back of a flat-bed truck when it rolled off. Other workers at the site tried to rescue Talley, but were unable to save him, according to a NBC4 Washington report.
Man falls to death while trimming trees
A man died from a fall while trimming trees on or about August 9, 2014, in Alhambra, Illinois. Family members found Dan H. Dauderman, 75, on his 300-acre farm in Alhambra on August 9, but he had not been seen for several days and the time of the actual accident is unclear.
Dauderman was trimming from the bucket of his tractor and it appeared a limb fell and struck the manual bucket release mechanism, causing the bucket to flip upside down and Dauderman to fall about 10 feet to the ground. An autopsy determined a preliminary cause of death as a cervical fracture and transection of the spinal cord, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Woman, 76, killed by cut tree
A tree fell on a 76-year-old woman sitting in a lawn chair August 11, 2014, outside her home just north of Keystone Heights, Florida, killing her.
The victim’s brother was cutting down the tree, a water oak, and she was not able to move out of the way when it fell in her direction. Other people, including children, in the yard at the time were not hurt.
Investigators said they found wood rot in the bottom of the tree, which appears to have made the tree fall prematurely, according to a WJXT-Channel 4 report
Bucket operator dies in rigging line
A tree worker died after apparently being choked by a rigging line while in a bucket more than 60 feet in the air August 13, 2014, in Alsace Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Cecil “Terry” English, 61, was cutting a big limb off the top of the tree when the branch apparently spun around and trapped him in between the rope and the bucket, with the weight of the branch choking him. Co-workers, either due to panic or lack of training, were unable to lower the bucket in time to save him.
English was transported to hospital for treatment by emergency responders, where he died, according to a WFMZ-TV report.
Climber cut with chain saw
A man was injured August 15, 2014, in Kelso, Washington, when he cut his arm with a chain saw while climbing a tree.
The man was 40 feet up in the tree when the injury occurred. He was taken to a local hospital with a deep cut, according to a report in the Longview Daily News.
Climber hurt in fall from tree
A climber was hurt August 16, 2014, in Harrison, Wisconsin, after falling out of a tree. The man, 52, of Birnamwood, had been hired to cut down trees on the property and while he was an estimated 25 feet off the ground, fell to the ground. The victim was wearing a safety harness at the time, but it is believed it slipped over and off the top of the tree spar.
He was listed in fair condition in the trauma center at Ministry Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Marshfield, according to the Merrill, Wisc., Foto News report.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A man was hurt August 18, 2014, after falling from a tree in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania.
The man was apparently removing a branch from the tree when he fell from a ladder. Paramedics and volunteer firemen took the man to UPMC Hamot for treatment of multiple injuries, according to the Jet 24 Action News report.
Climber hurt in struck-by
A part-time tree service owner/operator was injured August 19, 2014, on Herron Island in Pierce County, Washington, when he was hit in the chest by a branch while spiked in 10 to 15 feet off the ground.
Steven Johnson suffered broken ribs and an injured kidney and was airlifted to a hospital for treatment, according to a report called in directly to TCIA staff.
Tree service owner electrocuted, co-worker shocked
The owner of a tree trimming service died several days after he and a worker were shocked by power lines in Largo, Florida. Steven Hansen, 32, owner of Happy Palms Tree Trimming, died August 26, 2014, from injuries he sustained in the August 20 accident.
Hansen and Lance Russel, 50, were working when they moved a ladder and hit the power lines above them. Hansen went into cardiac arrest and was taken to Largo Medical Center in critical condition. The Bay News 9 report did not relate anything on Russel being injured.
A WFLA.com report stated that Russel was transported to a local hospital via ambulance with non-life threatening injuries.
Homeowner impaled in fall from tree
A man died August 21, 2014, after he was impaled on a metal chain-link fence post after falling out of a tree at his home in Jefferson, New Jersey. Simon Cross, 30, died at the scene from internal injuries.
Emergency responders found Cross impaled on a 1.5 inch upright galvanized metal chain-fence post. Cross was believed to have been standing on branches about 30 feet off the ground while using a chain saw when he lost his footing and fell.
EMTs responded along with Jefferson Fire Company No. 1, which responded with its jaws of life to cut the fence post, according to the Star Ledger and NJ.com report.
Landscaper electrocuted cutting limb, passerby shocked
A landscaper was electrocuted while doing work in the backyard of his home August 28, 2014, in Jacksonville, Florida, and a neighbor was shocked when he came to the tree worker’s aide.
Chad Janes, 42, a landscape company owner/operator, was in a tree with a chain saw and was cutting a limb in the backyard of his home when the limb fell onto a power line, electrocuting Janes, who fell to the ground. He died at the scene.
A neighbor, Joseph Sheffield, 53, walked up to help, and was shocked, as the ground was electrified, but he fell clear of the electrical current. Sheffield was taken to UF Health Jacksonville and then moved to UF Health Gainesville, according to the News4Jax.com report.
July 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Worker hurt in chipper
A tree worker was injured in a chipper accident July 10, 2014, in Boca Raton, Florida.
Emergency responders found that a worker’s upper extremity was caught in the machine. The victim was extracted and transported to Delray Medical Center with traumatic injuries, according to a WPTV News Channel 5 report.
Man severely injured by cut limb
A man was flown to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being struck by a cut tree limb July 14, 2014, in Paradise Township, Northern York County, Pennsylvania.
The victim, a 62-year-old man, was removing a tree when he was hit by a large limb that had been cut, according to a report in The Sentinel.
Climber loses leg pinned by cut limb
A climber had his leg amputated after it became pinned by a cut limb July 15, 2014, in Porter, Texas.
The man, in his 40s, was hired to cut down a residential tree.
A neighbor reported that he heard the man screaming and found the victim hanging upside-down in a tree three stories above ground. The neighbor grabbed a ladder nearby and, along with the victim’s co-worker, tried to keep the man from falling. He said the victim’s leg was severely crushed.
The co-worker reported that the crew was trying to use a rope to direct the limb’s fall, but that the cut limb ended up falling back toward the victim.
Firefighters, who used a ladder truck to get to the victim, had to sever the man’s leg at the knee to free him. He was transported to a hospital in downtown Houston by helicopter. He is listed in critical condition, according to the ABC-13 KTRK TV report.
Operator hurt after bucket struck by cut limb
The owner of a tree service was injured after he fell 20 feet from the bucket of an aerial lift truck July 16, 2014, in Crossett, Arkansas.
Mitch Wade West, 50, of Crossett, was removing a tree at a residence when the treetop fell the wrong way, struck the bucket, causing the bucket to become separated from the lift arm. West was ejected and fell 20 feet to the ground.
West was transported by helicopter to Jefferson Regional Medical Center in Pine Bluff, Ark., according to a report in The Ashley County Ledger.
Trimmer shocked when limb strikes wires
A tree worker was injured July 16, 2014, when a limb he was cutting struck live electrical wires in Scottsboro, Alabama.
The man, who was trimming trees from a ladder at the time, was shocked when the electrical current passed through the limb and his chain saw, knocking him off the ladder.
He was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital, but his condition was not known at the time of the WAFF Channel 48 report.
Trimmer hurt in 30-foot fall from ladder
A trimmer was hurt after falling some 30 feet, apparently from a ladder, while attempting to trim a palm, July 17, 2014, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The 27-year-old man was found on the ground next to a ladder. It seems the man was tying the ladder to the palm when it spun off, sending him to the ground.
Crews secured the man to spinal immobilization equipment and took him to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. The man’s name and condition were not immediately available, according to a report in the Palm Beach Post.
Climber hurt in 40-foot fall
A tree service owner was hurt in a 40-foot fall from a tree July 18, 2014, in Charles City, Iowa.
Kevin Hardy was harnessed and wearing a helmet when he fell. He was air-lifted to the St. Marys Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, for treatment for multiple injuries. Hardy owns a local tree sevice in Mason City, Iowa. Hardy broke his pelvis, right clavicle, left scapula and 11 ribs, but apparently had no internal bleeding or brain trauma and was in relatively good spirits, according to an AM 1240 WJON report.
Trimmer burned after fall into power lines
A tree trimmer sustained burns to the hands after falling into live electrical wires while trimming trees in Fort Worth, Texas, July 22, 2014.
Oncor Electric repair crews were called to a Hurst neighborhood after a report that a tree trimmer fell into power lines.
The worker was taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas in an unknown condition, according to an NBC 5-KXAS report.
Bucket operator hurt when truck rolls
A bucket operator was seriously injured July 25, 2014, in Lehigh Township, Northampton County, Texas, when his truck rolled away while he was in the bucket trimming a tree.
The truck was on a hill at a private residence when it either rolled or slid on wet grass, continuing down the hill until it struck a tree, where the worker was apparently ejected from the bucket. The operator was treated at the scene then flown to a Lehigh Valley area trauma center, according to a report in The Pocono Record.
Man killed, likely struck by cut tree
A man was killed July 28, 2014, most likely when he was struck by a large tree he was cutting while clearing his property in Honokohau Valley, in Maui, Hawaii.
A friend found Joseph Bento, 57, about 5 p.m. lying unconscious under the tree with multiple injuries to his body. Despite life-saving efforts by first responders, Bento was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of his death had not been determined pending autopsy results, according to a KHON Channel 2 report.
According to a direct report from a TCIA member in the area, there was a backhoe and another person involved in the land clearing. The second person left the work scene momentarily and when he came back found the victim pinned under a tree.
News report submitted by Carol Kwan, a certified arborist with Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Pilot of tree-trimming chopper hurt in crash
The pilot of a tree-trimming helicopter was reportedly in critical condition after the helicopter crashed July 30, 2014, in Logan County, Ohio.
Leo Boucher, 53, of New Hampshire, was working for Rotor Blade, a South Carolina company that runs the helicopter service, and had been trimming trees around power lines on Rt. 188 near West Liberty in Logan County. One suspicion was that the tree trimming tool suspended from the helicopter, which had been about 100 feet off the ground when it crashed, struck a deer stand that Boucher didn’t see.
Boucher, who was reportedly talking and responding to paramedics, was taken to Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine, and had stabilized enough to cancel a medical helicopter that was going to take him to a trauma center.
Boucher had been using the helicopter to clear trees for a bike path, using a configuration of several blades, each spinning about 5,000 revolutions per minute, about 80 feet below his helicopter. Metal poles connect the blade device to the helicopter.
The State Highway Patrol has called in the Federal Aviation Administration to help with the investigation of the crash, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
Operator dies when thrown from bucket
A bucket operator died July 30, 2014, in Ocala, Florida, when he fell about 50 feet from the bucket as he was attempting to cut a piece of a tree. Jeffrey Earl Phillips, 42, of Anthony, Fla., was taken by ambulance to Ocala Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Phillips was operating a bucket truck owned by a local tree service. The tree service owner told the Ocala Star-Banner, that Phillips was a subcontractor and owned his own business, and that Phillips was helping him out and had done several jobs for him over the past month. Phillips’ sister reported that her brother worked for the tree service company.
Three others working with Phillips at the time of the incident reported that Phillips was in the bucket and was not wearing a safety harness. He had tied a rope to a tree section he was trying to remove. It was unclear if the rope was attached to either the bucket or a winch.
Phillips tried to pull down the partially cut piece of the tree using the winch, the witness said, but the rope snapped, causing the bucket to move and throwing Phillips to the ground, according to the Ocala Star-Banner report.
Tree worker struck and killed by van
A tree service employee was killed July 31, 2014, when he was struck by a vehicle while directing traffic on the Frackville-Morea Highway in Mahanoy Township, Pennsylvania. William R. Hoffman, 66, of Pottsville, Pa., was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle was not injured. Hoffman was employed by a contractor working in the area, according to a report in The Republican-Herald.
June 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber injured in fall
A 51-year-old man was taken to the hospital after he fell 50 feet from a tree June 6, 2014, in Bull Valley, McHenry Township, Illinois. The man had climbed the tree to cut part of it off, and was preparing to secure himself to the tree when the branch he was standing on broke. The man sustained serious injuries and was flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, according to a Northwest Herald report.
Ground worker hurt in struck-by
A ground worker was seriously injured June 7, 2014, on the Nichols College campus in Dudley, Massachusetts, when the top of a tree the tree company crew was working on fell onto him.
The 24-year-old man was working as part of a four-man crew when the 25-foot-long, roughly 8-inch diameter section fell on him. The man was taken by ambulance to the UMass Memorial Medical Center-University in Worcester where he was in serious but stable condition, according to a Telegram & Gazette report.
Line worker killed in struck-by
A man who was cutting trees for Connecticut Light & Power died June 9, 2014, in Meriden, Connecticut, after being hit by one of those cut trees.
Frank Cline, 26, of Dover Plains, New York, was working as part of a crew on contract with the utility. One of Cline’s co-workers had tied off and cut a tree limb, but it swung and struck Cline, who fell to the ground. The cut limb then landed on top of him. Cline was transported to a hospital and later died from the injuries, according to a WVIT NBC Connecticut report.
Submitted by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist-Central Division, with National Grid in Syracuse, New York.
Man hurt in 60-foot fall from tree
A man was hurt after falling 60 feet from a tree June 11, 2014, in Wareham, Massachusetts. It appeared that the man had been doing tree-cutting work prior to the fall. The man, who was conscious and alert when emergency responders arrived, was transported to Tobey Hospital, and then airlifted to a Boston hospital. His condition was not immediately available, according to the report on wareham.wickedlocal.com.
Man killed by cut tree
A 46-year-old Whitehall, Michigan, man was killed June 13, 2014, when a section of a tree he was cutting in Mason County, Mich., fell and struck him in the head.
The man was working for a tree service that was doing selective cutting for a private property owner when he cut an approximately 50-foot-tall tree that turned out to be rotten in the middle. When the man tried to drop the tree, it hit another tree and fractured into five pieces. About a 5-foot chunk struck the victim in the head, killing him at the scene.
Emergency responders had to use all-terrain vehicles to get to the hard-to-reach scene, according to a Muskegon Chronicle report.
Homeowner injured in fall from tree
A 29-year-old man was seriously injured June 16, 2014, when he fell 15 to 20 feet from a tree in Deerfield, Massachusetts. The man had climbed the tree at his family home to trim some branches.
The man was stabilized at the scene and then transported to the South Deerfield Fire Station, which has a helicopter landing zone. He was then taken by a helicopter ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. No information was available on his condition, according to a report in The Republican.
Tree trimmer electrocuted
A tree trimmer was electrocuted June 16, 2014, outside a Parkville, Missouri, home.
The homeowner had hired the local tree trimming service, with a crew of three, to take down limbs on a large tree.
A metal piece on the climber’s dangling buckstrap, used to hold him in the tree, hit a live wire with 7,600 volts going through it. Carlos Enrique Gomez-Escobar, 34, died instantly while still strapped to the limbs up above.
Police said this was a tragic warning to others that utility companies do offer a service where crews will turn off power lines before any kind of work near them is done, according to the KCTV 5 News report.
Submitted by Bill Hascher, arborist manager, Biltmore, Asheville, North Carolina.
Aerial lift operator killed in fall
An aerial lift operator for a tree service company fell to his death June 19, 2014, in central El Paso, Texas. A witness told ABC-7 that the victim failed to fasten the safety line on the aerial lift.
The man had trimmed about two-thirds of the tree before he fell. The man was taken to University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, according to a KVIA Channel 7 report.
Climber dies in 60-foot fall
A 47-year-old man fell 60 feet to his death from a tree June 20, 2014, in Gardner, Kansas. The tree trimmer died at the scene.
The homeowner who hired the crew said the man was wearing a harness and he wasn’t sure if the tree trimmer’s rope snapped. The homeowner said he hired two men to cut down a tree on his property, according to a KCTV Kansas City report.
Climber dies from fall injuries
A tree worker who fell from a tree June 20, 2014, in Mansfield, Louisiana, died of his injuries two days later at University Health in Shreveport.
Ronnie Meshell, 56, of Mansfield, who worked for a private contractor, fell about 20 to 30 feet from a tree he was trimming at a residence south of Mansfield. The harness Meshell was using to secure himself to the tree either snapped or broke.
“We’re not sure if the chain saw cut it or if (it broke) from age,” an investigator told the Shreveport Times.
Property owner killed by cut limb
A cut branch killed Steve Anson, longtime baseball coach at Washburn University in Topeka, as he trimmed trees June 22, 2014, on property he owned in Jefferson County, Kansas. He was found with a large tree branch on top of him, according to a report in The Kansas City Star.
Woman killed by cut tree
A woman was struck and killed by a cut tree June 29, 2014, in Sedro-Woolley, Skagit County, Washington.
The 62-year-old woman was watching a crew who had been hired to cut down a large fir tree when it fell in an unplanned location. The woman wasn’t able to move out of the way in time, and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a KOMO Channel 4 News report.
Tree worker rescued from under cut tree
Some fast thinking business employees came to the rescue June 30, 2014, in Corpus Christi, Texas, when a huge tree fell on a man cutting it.
After the tree fell, the tree cutter’s wife tried to find help at neighboring properties. The business next door, which happened to be South Texas Trench Safety, fired up their front loader and arrived within seconds of first responders. The good Samaritans pulled the tree off the man, who told his wife moments before that he may die pinned underneath the massive tree.
The man’s wife said he is a professional tree trimmer, and knows how to cut trees, but she wasn’t sure what went wrong, according to a KRIS TV Channel 6 report.
Images of the scene appear to show the large tree may have already been on the ground, but rolled as the man limbed it.
June Accident Brief addendum
The following two accidents occurred in June, but were inadvertently omitted from the June briefs in the August issue of TCI and instead ran in October.
Trimmer shocked by power line dies
A climber was shocked and left hanging unconscious in Minnetonka, Minnesota, June 22, 2014, after a small branch he cut came into contact with the power line. A co-worker told Fox 9 the branch carried the electricity, shocking the 21-year-old man for about 20 seconds before the branch fell and severed the electrical connection. The crew was removing a rotten tree the property owner feared a storm could bring down, and the power line with it.
The tree trimmer was left dangling from his safety equipment for about an hour as Minnetonka firefighters waited for high-angle rescue equipment to arrive. The man’s co-worker said he and other staff members tried to free the trimmer from his harness, but it was too heavy to do safely.
The co-worker tried throwing a pole at the branch to break the connection, but at 50 feet up was not able to do so. He said the electricity just kept shocking the victim for a good 20 seconds, and then burned through the branch. The branch fell and the victim fell over upside down.
The company’s owner also climbed the tree to rescue his employee, but found he was too heavy to remove from his safety harness above ground. That meant the rescue had to wait for specialty high-angle rescue crews to arrive.
“He had a cabling device up there that we had to cut him out of,” Minnetonka Fire Chief John Vance told Fox News. “There were some things that complicated the rescue, making us not able to immediately free him from his position.”
A firefighter on a truck ladder eventually cut the worker loose and lowered him to the ground. Paramedics found he had a slight pulse and rushed him to Hennepin County Medical Center, but he later died.
The co-worker said the victim had been working with another company and recently quit and began working with the crew he was with at the time of the accident, and that he’d taken down 100 trees next to the power line and never had anything like that happen to him before, according to the KMSP-TV/Fox News report.
Tree worker dies in wood chipper
A tree worked died when he fell or was pulled into a wood chipper June 23, 2014, in Davie, Florida. Hernan Gutierrez, 42, whose last known address was in Hallandale Beach, Florida, was at a job site working for a local tree care company at the time of the incident.
Gutierrez and two co-workers were clearing debris on a street in late afternoon when Gutierrez went completely through the large-capacity machine, according to a Sun Sentinel report.
May 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Bucket operator critical after boom struck by truck in Las Vegas
An aerial lift operator was critically injured May 9, 2014, after being thrown from his bucket when it was struck by a passing truck in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The man, employed by a subcontractor trimming trees around power lines, was in the elevated bucket when it was struck by the top of a passing furniture moving van. The man, identified by a co-worker as “Martin,” fell 20 to 35 feet to the street below. He was transported to Sunrise Hospital in critical condition, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal report.
Gloria Torres, a Las Vegas resident and photographer, happened on the scene seconds after it happened and had her camera with her. She shared her pictures with TCI Magazine in hopes that someone will learn from the mistakes made in this case, she said.
Torres, who told TCI she went to the man as he was lying flat on his back in the road, said the man opened his eyes but did not speak or move before emergency responders arrived. She also said the truck driver told her he never saw the bucket or boom above the road.
Child struck by cut tree dies
A 3-year-old boy struck by a tree cut by his father in Trenton, New York, May 12, 2014, subsequently died. The boy’s father was cutting trees in the yard and the boy had been told to stay back, but ran into the path of a tree as it fell. He later died at Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, according to an Observer-Dispatch report.
Ground worker killed by cut tree
A tree worker was in the head by a branch and killed at a home May 13, 2014, on Merritt Island, Brevard County, Florida.
Workers for a local tree care company tied a rope around a branch of a large pine tree, then wrapped the rope around a different tree, planning to pull the limb away from the home as it fell. Brian Boyle, 43, an employe, was on the ground, holding the rope as the limb was cut. The rope was wrapped around Boyle’s hands and he couldn’t free himself when the limb fell and pulled him into its path.
Boyle was taken to Cape Canaveral Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to a Florida Today report.
Lineman saves injured climber
A South Central Indiana Rural Electric Membership Corporation worker was credited with saving the life of a tree worker severely injured and stuck in a tree May 19, 2014, in Martinsville, Indiana.
James Hugart, a lineman, rescued the victim, a Martinsville man working as a freelance tree trimmer, who was working alone when he became injured and couldn’t get down from the tree.
The man was pinned by a tree limb for an unknown period of time, and the blood flow was cut off from his legs. A local fire department truck couldn’t get to the man, so SCI REMC’s crews arrived on scene. Hugart went up in a bucket and rescued the man, according to a WBIW 1340 AM report.
Homeowner dies in fall while trimming
A 73-year-old man died May 22, 2014, after he fell from a tree while trimming branches in his Lindenhurst, New York, yard. The man, whose identity was not released, was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to a Newsday report.
Bucket operator shocked, injured
A man trimming trees at a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, house May 22, 2014, was shocked when a tool he was using hit a power line. The man, who is about 50 years old, was privately contracted to trim trees at a house. He was in a rented bucket truck when the pole saw he was using hit a secondary power line, shocking him.
A co-worker lowered the bucket and took the man out of it. Fire Rescue crews took the man to Broward Health Medical Center. The man’s condition was not immediately available, according to the Sun Sentinel.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A tree fell and killed a 72-year-old man as he tried to cut it down May 29, 2014, in Crescent Lake, Oregon. Eugene Frank Andrews was found dead, pinned under the tree, when his wife returned to the property from out of town that evening.
Friends and neighbors last saw Andrews around noon on Wednesday. The investigation found Andrews was attempting to cut down a tree approximately 1 foot in diameter when it fell, striking him in the head.
Andrews had tied a rope to the tree and was putting tension on it with an ATV. He was about 20 feet away from the tree’s base when it fell and struck him, according to a KVAL TV report.
Bucket operator killed in boom collapse
An aerial lift operator was killed May 30, 2014, in Gainesville, Florida, when the arm on a bucket truck collapsed from a height of 45 feet, throwing the man onto a sidewalk.
Eric J. Gillum, 39, an employee of a local tree service company, was in the bucket of the company’s “cherry picker” truck when a loud noise was heard, according to witnesses, and the mechanical arm supporting the bucket suddenly collapsed. The bucket rapidly fell and struck the cab of the truck, throwing Gillum onto the sidewalk.
Gillum was taken by ambulance to University of Florida Health Shands Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a report in The Gainesville Sun.
April 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed April 2, 2014, in Gloster, Mississippi, when a tree he was cutting fell on him. Justin “Tub” Kirkland, 39, of Liberty, Miss., was working in a wooded area. He worked for a timber company, but it was unclear if he was on the job at the time or working on the side, according to The Enterprise-Journal and The Washington Times reports.
Tree worker hit and killed by car
A tree worker was struck by an SUV and killed April 6, 2014, while helping clear trees and other winter storm debris along Interstate 26 in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
Heath Sutherland, 34, was in the median when a co-worker cut down a tree and it appeared to be falling toward him. Sutherland ran into the eastbound lanes of I-26 to avoid the tree and was hit by a vehicle. The driver and a passenger in the SUV were not hurt.
Sutherland worked for a company hired by the state to remove the debris, according to a Daily Journal/Associated Press report.
Homeowner rescued from under cut tree
A homeowner was rescued April 11, 2014, in Duxbury, Massachusetts, after a tree he was cutting, or a portion of it, fell on him, trapping him.
Rescue crews used inflatable pillows and chain saws to free the man. The tree’s trunk did not hit the man directly, but the limbs trapped his legs.
The victim, described as a man in his 50s, was in stable condition, and was flown to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston for treatment. The tree pinning the man weighed about 600 pounds, according to a WCVB NewsCenter5 report.
Neighbor killed by cut limb
A man who was trying to help a neighbor prune trees died April 12, 2014, in Lake Township, Michigan, after a tree branch fell on him.
James Keltner, 65, of Bridgman, Mich., was helping Greg Boos trim trees on his property in Lake Township when a large branch broke free and fell on him. Keltner died at the scene.
The two were helping take a large branch down and as they were cutting it, it started to go. It fell on him. Keltner was on his back with the branch on top of him. Others at the scene were able to remove the branch, but he died at the scene.
The pair had been friends for years, according to the Harbor Country-News report.
Homeowner killed cutting down tree
A man was killed April 18, 2014, in Sussex, New Jersey, when the tree he was cutting down fell and struck him.
Angelo Burrafato, 55, of Sussex Borough, N.J., was working in the yard at his home when the tree he was cutting down split and fell onto him. Burrafato’s wife went to check on him when she noticed she didn’t hear sound of a saw, and she found him lying near the tree unresponsive, according to The Star-Ledger report.
Climber killed when tree fails
A climber died April 23, 2014, in Bedford Close, New York, when the tree he was in failed and fell on him.
Keven C. Bullard, 41, of Queensbury, a self-employed tree surgeon with years of experience, had climbed the birch tree to cut off its top when the entire tree fell over with him tied to it.
He was about 50 feet up the tree and fell with the tree as it toppled, and the tree landed on top of him on an asphalt driveway. The tree’s root system was rotten, and the tree-cutting crew was not aware of the rot.
Bullard was pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center after the accident. It was determined he died of massive internal injuries, according to a Glens Falls Post-Star report.
Man killed when cut branch falls on him
A man died April 24, 2014, in Sheridan, Wyoming, when a large branch apparently fell on him while he was trimming a tree.
David Mader, 63, of Sheridan County, was pronounced dead at the scene. It appeared he had been using a small electric chain saw to cut the tree and a large branch fell on top of him, according to a report in The Sheridan Press.
March 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber rescued after fall in tree
A climber suffered serious injuries March 3, 2014, in Portland, Oregon, when he fell 20 to 30 feet before coming to stop on a lower limb of the 70-foot maple he’d been working in.
Barry Sadis bounced from limb to limb before finally hitting a branch and straddling it, then holding on to another limb for balance, according to a co-worker who witnessed the fall. He was then able to hang on while waiting for rescuers to reach him.
Portland firefighters used a bucket truck to reach Sadis. He was taken to Oregon Health & Science University for treatment of his injuries. He broke his sternum and all of the ribs on his left side, but was listed in fair condition the next day.
It was unclear how high in the maple he had been, or how high off the ground he was when he managed to halt his fall. He and his crew were in the process of removing the tree from a property when the incident occurred.
Sadis has been doing this kind of work for more than 20 years and was wearing all the appropriate safety gear when his line snapped, according to a News Channel 8 report.
County employee hurt in struck-by
A Jackson County, Missouri, Public Works Department employee was injured March 11, 2014, when he was struck on the head by a branch while trimming trees.
The branch was about 8 inches in diameter. The employee was conscious and transported via ground ambulance to a local hospital with what was described as a non-life-threatening injury, according to a report in The Star of Kansas City, Mo.
Homeowner injured in struck-by
A homeowner was seriously injured March 15, 2014, when he was struck by a limb while doing tree work at his home in Claremont, New Hampshire.
Adam Barton was trimming trees when a tree limb fell, hit him and caused a serious head injury. He was taken to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon where he underwent surgery.
Barton was in a medically induced coma three days after the accident, but was responding to pain stimuli applied to his legs. Doctor’s had planned to keep him sedated for a few more days, according to a Union Leader report. Five days after the accident he was reported to be breathing on his own.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A man died after a tree fell on him at his home March 27, 2014, in Aiken, South Carolina. Thomas Shealy, 73, died from multiple body traumas.
Shealy was attempting to cut down a tree in his yard when it fell. Shealy’s wife discovered him when she went out to help him with the work. A neighbor and a local landscaper pulled Shealy from under the tree.
He was pronounced dead at his home about an hour and a half after the incident, according to an Aiken Standard report.
Trimmer survives chain saw-to-neck accident
A tree trimmer was seriously injured March 31, 2014, in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, after being cut in the neck with a chain saw.
James Valentine, 21, was part of a crew pruning trees and was in a harness halfway up a tree when his saw suddenly kicked back and the blade sliced into him.
A co-worker climbed the tree and brought him down. A doctor on the scene then stabilized Valentine.
Police were able to remove the saw motor, but left the blade in his neck to keep him from bleeding to death. The chain saw blade partially embedded in his neck and shoulder area.
He was taken to Allegheny General Hospital and had surgery to remove the blade.
Doctors say Valentine is very lucky because the chain saw missed major arteries, and just cut into muscle, and he is expected to make a full recovery, according to KDKA-TV and Chicago Tribune reports.
Sent in by Doug Bozich, Doug Bozich Tree Service, Verona, Pa., and by Doug Tucker, Doug’s Tree Service, Crystal Lake, Illinois.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A tree worker was injured March 31, 2014, in Bellefontaine, Ohio, when a limb fell on his head.
He was struck by an approximately 20-pound limb from a tree that was being trimmed. The man was flown by helicopter to an area hospital, according to an NBC4 report.
February 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree worker killed by cut tree
A tree worker was struck and killed by a cut tree February 3, 2014, in Ware, Massachusetts.
Brian Smith, 27, of Palmer, Mass., was struck on the head by the tree. He was pronounced dead at the scene. It is not known whether Smith was wearing a helmet at the time.
Smith was part of a crew from a localtree care company working on the job, and was apparently trying to guide the falling tree with a rope when the accident happened. Two other tree workers were also working along with Smith, according to a report in The Republican and on MassLive.com.
Florida tree service employee electrocuted
A tree service company employee was electrocuted on the job February 8, 2014, in St. Petersburg, Florida. St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue found the man, approximately 50 years old, hanging from a tree. He had come in contact with a power line.
Fire rescue crews had to retrieve the motionless man from 35 to 40 feet in the air, where he was hanging from his safety harness. The man was in cardiac arrest, and was treated and transported to Bayfront Medical Center where he later died, according to a Bay News 9 report.
California tree worker electrocuted by power line
A tree worker was electrocuted February 17, 2014, in Malibu, California, after touching a live electrical wire while up in a tree. Authorities received a call reporting an unconscious man stuck in a tree 25 feet above the ground. After being lowered, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
The unidentified male Hispanic was 50 years old, lived in the San Fernando Valley, but was from El Salvador and not known to have family in the United States, according to a report in The Malibu Times.
Golf course owner struck, killed by cut tree limb
The owner of a golf course in Dallas, Gaston County, North Carolina, was killed after he was struck by the tree limb of a damaged tree on the course February 18, 2014. The victim was identified as Joe Herman Ratchford, 63.
A large tree had fallen to the ground in an awkward position. Ratchford was working to remove the tree when a part of it struck him in the head, according to the WSOC-TV Channel 9 report.
Homeowner killed in struck-by
A homeowner man was killed February 19, 2014, in Summerville, South Carolina, when a tree limb fell and struck him on the head while he was doing yard work.
Jason Couch, 43, was doing yard work at his home in the Legends Oaks neighborhood when a tree limb fell out of a tree and struck him. Cause of death was brain injury due to blunt force trauma to the head.
Officials say Couch was by himself when the incident happened, and was found by his wife when she arrived back home with their two children, according to a WCSC Live 5 News report.
Tree worker trapped by tree top
A tree service climber found himself trapped February 21, 2014, when a limb he was cutting fell on top of him, pinning him into the tree’s branches in Oak Hill, Fayette County, West Virginia. The 20-year-old man was trapped for at least 30 minutes.
Oak Hill Fire Department led the rescue. Fayetteville, Nuttall, and Ansted fire departments were also on-scene with a high-rescue team, a wrecker service, and a tree climbing team, according to a report in The Register-Herald.
Tree company owner killed in struck-by
Bernardo Teran, 49, owner of a tree trimming company, was killed February 26, 2014, while he and his sons, along with two other employees, were removing a large date palm from the yard of a home in El Cajon, California, near San Diego.
The group was attempting to remove an 18- to 20-foot-tall date palm from a yard. They expected the large tree to fall onto a designated path to the ground, but the tree ended up falling on Teran, killing him.
According to a report released by the medical examiner’s office, as reported by NBC 7 San Diego, after one of the employees in the group cut the tree, it became unstable and then suddenly collapsed on top of Teran, who became partially pinned under the tree. His sons and employees were able to remove him from under the palm and one of his sons called 911. Emergency crews rushed to the work site, but the father was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NBC 7 San Diego report.
January 2014 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Landscaper electrocuted using pole saw
A landscape worker was electrocuted January 4, 2014, in Winter Park, Florida, when he touched a pole saw to a power line. A second worker was also shocked but was recovering.
A crew of four men from a Sanford, Fla., landscaping company was trimming trees when the victim, Delvin Reynoso, 22, touched a metal pole saw to the power line. A witness described seeing the worker hanging upside down in the tree surrounded by smoke, adding that it was clear he was no longer alive. Rescuers reported that Reynoso died instantly, according to WESH and WPTV TV/NewsChannel 5 reports.
Another worker, Francisco Hernandez, was on ladder touching the tree and was also shocked, but was recovering at the hospital and expected to survive.
Two other co-workers called 911 and had to wait for power to be shut off. One of those two workers said that they all knew to stay at least 12 feet from power lines and he believed what happened was an accident.
Tree firm owner dies of asphyxiation
A man killed while cutting branches from a tree January 18, 2014, in Fairburn Georgia, apparently died of asphyxiation.
Tim June, 21, of Roswell, Ga., was about 60 feet off the ground working on a pine tree when a cut branch struck him. The Fairburn Fire Department dispatched a ladder truck to the site, where firefighters worked carefully to extricate June and lower him to a waiting ambulance.
At first, rescuers thought June had died from the force of the limb striking him. A physician determined he’d actually died of head and neck compression, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
June was the owner of Atlanta Tree Assurance, founded last year. June had been cutting trees for three years and recently decided to start his own company, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Falling tree crushes crew member
A man working with a crew cutting trees in East Texas was killed January 22, 2014, after a 20-foot section of tree fell on him.
Lucio Vasquez, of Groveton, Texas, was dead at the scene, on private property at a rural site near Pollok, about 125 miles northeast of Houston. Authorities said Vasquez and several other people were part of a tree-cutting crew using heavy equipment and chain saws, according to an NBC 5–KXAS report.
Man survives trip through debarking machine
A worker suffered crushed bones and battered organs but survived a journey through a debarking machine January 24, 2014, at a bark and wood products company in Longview, Washington.
Several national news reports initially reported that the man had gone through a wood chipper, but those reports were inaccurate.
Frank Arce, 23, was at his job as a general laborer at the plant when he climbed up on a drum to remove a piece of jammed wood. He climbed or fell through a basketball-sized hole into a powered-off “porcupine” device, which uses eight-inch blades and other instruments to break up pieces of bark, according to a CBS News and Reuters report. Rather than chipping wood like a wood chipper or grinder, this machine uses blades geared toward separating tree bark instead of chopping it.
A co-worker, unaware someone was in the machine, switched the porcupine back on while Arce was trapped inside. He was in the machine for only seconds before a device operator heard screams and shut it down, but the lower half of his body was already mangled.
He suffered seven broken ribs, a broken pelvis, a broken knee, a shattered ankle, a collapsed lung, a bruised liver and nerve damage. He was expected to survive, but his long term prognosis for a full recovery is unknown.
Bucket operator dies in fall
A tree worker fell 40 feet to his death from an aerial lift truck bucket while trimming a tree January 25, 2014, in Forsyth, Georgia. Jose Luiz Martinez, 39, of Gainesville, Ga., wasn’t wearing safety equipment while in the bucket trimming a pine tree in a residential area.
Martinez was part of a four-person crew with a Gainesville-based tree service that included his brother and a cousin. None of the other three crew members saw Martinez fall. They were clearing the ground when they heard something hit the ground. They looked back and the bucket was empty, according to a Forsyth News report.
The Forsyth County Sheriff speculated that the tree or a piece of it hit the fully extended bucket, and that the subsequent whipping action knocked Martinez out of it.
After being alerted to call 911 buy his co-workers, the homeowner tried to revive Martinez with CPR, according to a Forsyth News report.
Tree worker hurt in 40-foot fall
A 21-year-old tree worker trimming tree limbs for West Penn Power in State College, Pennsylvania, was seriously injured after falling 40-feet January 29, 2014.
The line clearance company employee apparently fell when the limb he was standing on broke and simultaneously his chain saw cut his safety line. The man was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center before being flown to a regional trauma center, according to a www.statecollege.com report.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring throughout 2013
December 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Worker dies in fall from palm
Nicolas Obispo, a worker, died in fall from a palm tree in Los Angeles, California, December 6, 2013, according to an OSHA accidents summary at www.osha.gov.
Tree trimmer seriously hurt in fall
A tree trimmer was seriously injured December 13, 2013, when he fell about 40 feet while working in Davidsonville, Maryland. The 31-year-old man was taken by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening, according to a report in The Capital Gazette.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree worker died December 19, 2013, in Blacklick, Ohio, after a limb from the tree he was cutting struck him, and he fell to the ground, according to an OSHA accidents summary at www.osha.gov.
Worker hurt when van hits tree truck
A Deford, Michigan, man, 28, was hurt December 27, 2013, in Marlette Township, Mich., when the tree service truck he was driving was struck by a second vehicle. Steven Walther was driving south on M-53 when a northbound van driven by Marshall Lacross Jr., 50, of Fraser crossed the center line and collided with the truck, according to a Sanilac County News report.
Man injured in tree trimming accident
A Raleigh, North Carolina, man was seriously injured December 28, 2013, while trimming a tree outside of a home, in Raleigh, according to a WRAL-TV5 and WRAL.com report.
From the video of the scene, the accident appeared to involve a homeowner using an aluminum extension ladder and an extension cord, presumably for an electric chain saw.
Editor’s note: While all accidents are serious and we want to get the number to zero, we ended 2013 on a somewhat positive note; this is one of fewest accidents reported for a month since we began reporting them by month in TCI in 2010.
November 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2014 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man hurt by cut tree
A man was injured when a tree fell on him as he was cutting it down November 2, 2013, in the Hornerstown section of Upper Freehold township, New Jersey.
Matt Kowalski, 35, was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton with a possible pelvic fracture and back pain. He later was listed in stable condition, according to an Asbury Park Press report.
Submitted by David J. Ossowski, CTSP, safety trainer with Aspen Tree Expert Co., Inc. in Jackson, New Jersey.
Two workers hurt in electrical incident
Two tree-service workers were injured November 2, 2013, after one of them made contact with a power line while trimming a tree in Wall, New Jersey.
A 39-year-old Toms River, N.J., man received an electrical shock and suffered burns when he made contact with a primary-transmission power line. That man then fell from the ladder he was on and sustained further trauma injuries upon hitting the ground.
A second worker, a 20-year-old Manchester, N.J., man, was standing on the ground and sustained leg injuries when he attempted to catch the first man.
Both men were transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune for treatment, but their conditions were not immediately available, according to an Asbury Park Press report
Submitted by David J. Ossowski, CTSP, safety trainer with Aspen Tree Expert Co., Inc. in Jackson, New Jersey.
Climber killed in fall
Kopano P. Lopeti, 51, of Seattle, Washington, died November 5, 2013, in Everett, Wash., after he fell about 40 feet from a tree he was working on, according to a report in The Daily Herald.
According to an account provided directly to TCIA staff, Lopeti, an employee of a local tree service company, died after rappelling (descending) off the end of his line.
Climber rescued after tree fails and falls on building
A climber was injured November 6, 2013, in Washington, D.C., after the tree being cut apparently failed below the climber, dropping the climber onto the roof of a building.
When the tree fell it also landed on the roof of the building. The victim was been rescued from the roof and in the care of medical personnel, according to a WUSA9/www.nbcwashington.com report.
Trimmer dies in fall at resort
A tree trimmer died November 6, 2013, after a fall while working at the Mirage hotel-casino in Las Vega, Nevada.
Arturo Mendez, 31, who had trimmed trees at the Mirage for nearly a year, was about 35 feet up trimming trees when he fell. He had apparently been tied in and using some rigging, according to KVVU-TV FOX5 report.
No injuries in crane mishap
A $1-million, 80,000-pound crane leaned at a 45-degree angle for more than a day, with its 120 foot boom reaching within inches of a home’s roof, after a tree trimmer in Fort Collins, Colorado, found out too late on November 7, 2013, that it couldn’t handle the leverage of a large branch.
The crane had started to tip sideways slowly, its 120-foot boom reaching across two backyards before it stopped, with only a section of wooden fencing damaged. Two more cranes were hauled in to return it to the ground.
The tree care company planned to have the tree weighed to figure out what went wrong. The company owner said they had used charts to ensure the crane wasn’t overburdened, but added that clearly something went wrong. No injuries were reported, according to a 9NEWS report.
Man killed moving cut tree
A man died after a cut tree he was trying to move fell on him November 9, 2013, in Franklin, Wisconsin.
Lee Fischer, 73, of Whitelaw, Wisc., was pulling the cut tree off of another tree with his tractor when the cut tree twisted and fell on him. He died from chest and spinal cord injuries, according to Journal Sentinel and WTMJ Radio reports.
Lift operator killed in struck-by
A tree trimmer was killed November 12, 2013, in La Mesa, California, near San Diego, when a large branch hit him on the head. Josh Pudsey, 41, of Lakeside, Calif., was with a co-worker in an aerial lift trimming a tall eucalyptus tree next to a house when they apparently cut a branch wrong and part of the tree hit him, according to a FOX 5 report.
Contractor hurt in 30-foot fall
A contractor was injured November 15, 2013, after falling 30 feet from a tree near the Bull Run Reservoir in Sandy, Oregon.
Crews from the Sandy Fire Department hauled the man on a stretcher through dense undergrowth before he was taken by Life Flight helicopter to the hospital, according to a KGW News Channel 8 report.
Tree worker hit and killed by truck, second person hurt
A tree worker died after being struck by a passing pickup truck at a worksite in Adamsville, Alabama, November 16, 2013. A second person, a woman, was injured. Investigators were checking to see if texting/distracted driving contributed to the crash.
A small pickup truck struck and killed the man. It also struck the woman, but the extent of her injuries was unknown.
The dead man, from Georgia and a contract-worker for a tree removal business, was standing in a blocked-off section of Highway 78 performing maintenance work for the state at the time of the incident.
The woman who was hit had her arm almost severed in the crash. It was not clear from the reports whether she was another worker, a resident in the yard of a home adjacent to the worksite, or another passerby. The pickup truck narrowly missed a flag man, who was directing traffic at the time.
Investigators were working to pull phone records of the woman driver of the pickup to see if texting and driving was a factor in the incident, according to ABC 33/40 reports.
Tree worker dies in 60-foot fall
A man was killed November 16, 2013, near Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, after falling approximately 60 feet from a tree he was cutting.
Anthony “Lane” Wilson, 51, of Coushatta, La., was cutting limbs off a tree that he and his brother were preparing to remove for a landowner when the safety rope attached to his waist apparently broke, causing him to fall.
The landowner provided CPR on the victim until Natchitoches EMS Paramedics arrived. But the fall caused fatal injuries and he was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a KTBS 3 report.
Tree worker dies after trapped in tree
A tree worker died November 18, 2013, in Knoxville, Tennessee, after he was struck by a limb while aloft.
Three workers were attempting to remove several trees at a South Knoxville house. One tree split while the climber was tied into it, trapping the climber.
The first rescue crews couldn’t get the man down, so they called in a volunteer rescue squad, a vertical response team, which did free the man, but it took 45 minutes. By then, the climber was unconscious, and he subsequently died.
The tree company owner apparently stated that the victim was a good climber and had all the necessary equipment, and that he was a sub-contractor he met just that morning, according to WBIR TV-10 and WVLT Volunteer TV reports.
Man killed by felled tree
A worker felling trees for a logging company man was killed November 20, 2013, in West Finley Township, Pennsylvania, when a tree fell on top of him.
A co-worker cut a 6-foot piece of the tree off John Pirl, 46, of Normalville, Pa., and performed CPR, but was unable to revive him, according to a WTAE-TV report.
Contributed by Doug Bozich of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Man killed by cut tree
A man died after the tree he was cutting down fell on him November 20, 2013, in Montgomery County, Alabama. When investigators arrived, the man, 64, was under the fallen tree. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a WSFA 12 News report.
Bucket operator hurt in fall
A bucket operator was hurt when he fell about 20 feet while trimming a tree in Mapleton, Minnesota, November 20, 2013.
It wasn’t clear if the man fell from the boom or the boom broke.
A helicopter was sent to the scene to transport the victim to a hospital, according to a report in The Mankato Free Press.
Worker killed by cut tree
A worker died November 21, 2013, after he was crushed by a falling tree at a site being cleared of about six acres of trees for a parking at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Mark Ellsworth, 22, of Mishawaka, Ind., an employee of a small excavating firm. It was unclear what caused the accident. Preliminary autopsy results indicated Ellsworth died from blunt-force trauma to the torso, according to a South Bend Tribune report.
Submitted by Patrick Oszuscik.
* Missed in January TCI briefs, ran in February.
Tree worker crushed by wind-felled tree
A worker with a tree company removing a tree from a roadway was killed November 24, 2013, in Laconia, New Hampshire, when he was struck by another nearby tree that suddenly crashed to the ground. Dangerously strong winds gusting to more than 50 mph felled trees and knocked out power to thousands in New Hampshire that day.
The 54-year-old Tilton, N.H., man was in the roadway cutting up the tree when the tree directly behind him snapped in the wind and fell on him. Emergency personnel on the scene immediately began cutting to remove the branches and limbs, but when they got to him it was apparent the man was dead, according to a New Hampshire Union Leader report.
October 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man injured in fall from tree
A man pruning trees October 2, 2013, at the sports field in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, was injured in a fall from a tree. The victim, whose identity and the extent of his injuries were not immediately known, was transported from the field by a medical helicopter, according to a report in The Patriot-News.
Climber seriously injured in fall
A 32-year-old tree climber suffered severe injuries October 2, 2013, in Cohasset, Massachusetts, when the harness he was wearing apparently failed and he fell 30 to 40 feet to the ground. The man, a tree company employee removing trees at the time of the incident, was treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to South Shore Hospital.
Police were not able to contact OSHA to respond to the work-related accident due to the partial shutdown of the federal government, so detectives took photographs and investigated on their own. Later in the day, police heard back from someone at OSHA, who said only 200 people were on duty nationwide so they were unable to respond and asked for a copy of the police report, according a the Cohasset Mariner article.
Homeowner dies cutting evergreen tree
A man injured while trying to cut down an evergreen tree in his backyard October 3, 2013, in Hooksett, New Hampshire, was taken to Elliot Hospital in Manchester, N.H., where he died from his injuries.
Eugene Fraser was found non-responsive, with what appeared to be head injuries, in the backyard of his residence. He was given CPR on the way to the hospital and was non-responsive when he arrived at the emergency room, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Tree service owner dies after 50-foot fall
The owner of a tree service died October 4, 2013, in Holden, Maine, after a 50-foot fall that occurred while he was cutting down a large pine tree. Michael Campbell, 50, of Brewer, Maine, died at the worksite from blunt force trauma to his head and torso despite efforts to resuscitate him.
Campbell was cutting an 80-foot pine, had climbed about 50 feet and was in the process of cutting off the top 30 feet when a climbing line attached to him got tangled in the top section of the tree, taking him down with it when it fell to the ground.
The accident was reported by his three employees, one of whom was his son. Campbell had many years of experience and was wearing the necessary safety equipment when the accident happened.
Police efforts to contact representatives of OSHA were unsuccessful because of the federal government shutdown, according to a Bangor Daily News report.
Tree worker injured in fall from roof
A landscape company employee was badly hurt in a fall while trying to trim a tree from a garage roof October 4, 2013, in West Amwell Township, New Jersey.
Jorge Mario Poteo, 42, or Trenton, N.J., was standing on the garage roof of a two-story house, trimming some tree branches above it, when he fell about 15 feet to the ground. Poteo was initially unconscious, but was able to talk with responding rescue personnel, according to a Hunterdon County Democrat report.
Tree worker killed in fall
A contract climber died nine days after being struck by a limb and falling 44 feet to the ground in Baldwin County, Georgia.
Christopher Wheeler, 27, of Eatonton, Ga., often contracted his time to tree service companies. While working for a local tree company October 5, 2013, he was cutting off the top section of a tree when a severed piece fell on him, knocking him to the ground. He was rushed to the Medical Center of Central Georgia, where he died October 14, according to a report in The Eatonton Messenger.
Climber shocked by tree touching wire
A tree crew had just begun working on the trees at a home October 12, 2013, in Lunenburg, Massachusetts, when an employee was shocked.
Charles Miserendino, the tree company owner, and three employees were hired to take down a maple tree and trim two others. Mark Guisto, 44, of Ayer, had climbed up into the 30-foot maple that was to be removed and was setting up when a strong wind suddenly came through, and an electrical wire that had been obscured by foliage made contact with the tree. Guisto cried out before going limp, leaving him hanging by his rope and lanyard system.
“I watched him literally dangle and convulse like someone was electrocuting him,” Miserendino told the Sentinel & Enterprise newspaper. “We could see the voltage going through his body. It’s not something I would want anybody ever, ever to witness. It was horrifying.”
At one point, Miserendino said, Guisto tried to get up and fell back again, his body spinning and his mouth foaming, and he began to cough. He said he and the other workers had to use a 20-foot pole saw to prop him up. Emergency responders found Guisto awake and able to communicate. A ladder truck with a bucket was called in to take Guisto down, but emergency crews were not able to remove him for 45 more minutes, until the power was shut off.
Once removed, Guisto was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he was in stable condition, according to the Sentinel & Enterprise.
Man killed by felled tree
An 88-year-old man was killed October 12, 2013, when a tree fell on him as he helped thin trees on family property in Osnaburg, Township, Ohio. John Elmerick, 88, of Louisville, Ohio, was riding a mower as others were cutting a tree, but the tree fell the wrong way, striking him in the back. Elmerick apparently tried to get out of the way of the falling tree, but was not able to avoid it.
Elmerick was rushed to Mercy Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead from massive internal injuries a short time later, according to the Canton Repository.
Lift operator hurt when truck rolls
A tree service aerial lift truck being used for line clearance rolled from the roadway and into a ditch October 14, 2013, in Canaan, New York, while an employee was in the bucket, leaving the employee trapped underneath the bucket.
Rescue personnel from several departments worked to remove the victim, who was still conscious when rescuers loaded him into an ambulance. He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center with unknown injuries, according to a report in The Register-Star.
Tree service owner killed in struck-by
A private tree contractor working for the county was killed by a falling tree branch October 15, 2013, in Redding, Calif.
Delbert Johnson was trimming a black oak when a branch fell on his head. Johnson was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Johnson owned and operated his own stump removal company for more than 40 years, according to a KRCR TV report.
Man falls to death while trimming tree
A man died after a fall while cutting a tree limb October 16, 2013, in Seneca, South Carolina. Tyrome Harris, 49, died of blunt force head and chest trauma.
Harris was trimming tree limbs from a ladder with a chain saw at the company where he worked when the incident happened. Harris was trimming limbs with other employees when a limb about 20 inches thick snapped and apparently struck him. Harris fell from the ladder onto a concrete sidewalk, according to WHNS-TV.
Tree worker hurt in fall from tree
A tree worker was injured October 21, 2013, outside a home in Tupelo, Mississippi, when he fell about 30 feet while trying to cut down an 85-foot tree.
A tree service was hired to remove three trees, and while crews were trying to cut down the largest tree, it broke in the wrong direction and knocked the worker to the ground. The man was taken to the hospital, but his condition was not immediately known, according to WTVA television.
Trimmer electrocuted by power lines
A contractor was electrocuted October 22, 2013, while trimming trees in Amarillo, Texas. The Amarillo Fire Department responded to reports that a man was stuck in a tree. Fire officials found Emiliano Garcia, 46, a contractor, who had been trimming trees, cut one or more power lines and was electrocuted. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a NewsChannel 10 report. News video showed a pole saw, and it appeared the contact may have been with service drop wires.
Man injured in fall from tree
A man was injured October 22, 2013, in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, after falling about 20 feet while doing tree work.
The 52-year-old man suffered multiple traumas but was conscious and talking with rescue personnel at the scene. He was flown to hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, but his condition was not immediately known, according to a Cape Cod Times report.
Tree worker killed in fall
A man working with a trimming crew died October 25, 2013, in Benton, Louisiana, while working on a large partially dead oak tree. The man was 50 feet up when a limb broke. The man, believed to be from the Dallas, Texas, area, may have lost his footing and fell, becoming entangled in the safety harness rope system, according to a KSLA TV report, which also said the man likely died instantly.
Tree worker killed in fall from lift
A tree service employee died in a fall from an aerial lift October 29, 2013, in Newport News, Virginia. Edward John Downing, Jr., 39, and the brother of Joseph Normandeau, the tree service owner, was the foreman on the job site and had about 18 years of experience in the tree-cutting business. Downing fell about 30 feet to his death from the lift he was working on.
“We believe he had his safety harness on, but we believe that he didn’t strap it, rushing, and didn’t clamp it in,” Normandeau told WVEC Television. “He made an error today, and we all need to learn to slow down.”
Landscaper touches power line, dies
A landscaper was killed instantly when his pole trimmer came in contact with a 7,000-volt power line in Portland, Oregon, October 30, 2013. The man, in his 30s, was with a private landscaping company when his metal saw on a metal pole hit a residential distribution line. He died instantly.
Pacific Gas & Electric crews turned off power in the area so Portland Fire & Rescue crews could get to the victim’s body.
A PGE spokesperson said many homeowners will be trimming trees before winter, and cautioned that if branches are near power lines, to leave them to the experts, according to KOIN-TV Channel 6.
Tree worker dies in fall
A tree service owner died in fall from tree October 31, 2013, in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Cameron P. Lyon, 36, operator of Lyon & Son Tree Service in Barrington, N.J., was working on a tree on private property when he fell. The married father of four was taken by ambulance to Cooper University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.
A report to TCIA staff indicated that Lyon was transitioning from a crane into the tree at the time of the fall.
September 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Two injured in power line mishap
Two tree trimmers for a local tree service were hospitalized after a mishap with a power line September 3, 2013, in Melbourne, Florida. One worker was shocked, suffering second and third degree burns to the lower extremities, and was flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center. It was unclear whether the man touched the wire directly, or made contact through the ladder he was standing on.
The second man was not electrocuted, but was hurt when he fell from a ladder.
It did not appear at the time that the injuries were life threatening, according to Florida Today.
Climber shocked by power line
A climber for a tree service was in critical condition at a Boston hospital after coming in contact with a power line while performing tree work September 3, 2013, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
Foster Gilbert, 57, was found by emergency personnel dangling in a harness, apparently after contacting a primary electric line. An Asplundh Tree crew working in the area was called to the scene with its bucket truck to assist with the rescue, helping fire personnel reach Gilbert, remove him from his harness and lower him to a waiting ambulance.
Gilbert appeared to have burn marks on his head and leg, according to the Berkshire Eagle report.
Man killed by dislodged tree
A man was killed when a tree fell on him September 7, 2013, in Knox County, Iowa. Deputies found Richard A. Grohmann, 62, of Knox County, pinned under the tree. No one had heard from him for several hours.
They say Grohmann was attempting to dislodge a fallen tree, and in doing so, the tree fell on him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a KWQC-TV6 report.
Tree worker dies after fall from tree
A tree worker died off the job September 7, 2013, after falling out of a tree in Raleigh, North Carolina. Robert William Kearns, 26, of Cary, N.C., was demonstrating a climb for his friends when fell about 30 feet from the tree, apparently having slipped from his harness.
Kearns was a climber for a tree service in Raleigh. He had a wife and 5-year-old son, according to a WRAL-TV5 report.
According to a person familiar with the details, the accident occurred as darkness descended around 8 p.m. on Saturday evening, in the company of at least five friends at a social gathering, Kearns set a line and spiked up a tree about 26 feet with a lanyard around the trunk. He undid his lanyard to move it around a limb. He also detached from his climbing line. Now completely unsecured, he slipped and fell out of the tree.
He landed on a hard-packed gravel driveway with his shoulder and head taking the brunt of the impact. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.
EMT’s reported he had knocked out several teeth and was bleeding from his mouth and ears. They were able to resuscitate him once on site, but he passed away en route to the hospital.
Man trimming hurt in fall from ladder
A man was injured September 7, 2013, Gloversville, New York, when he fell from a tree while cutting a tree branch on an extension ladder.
The man fell 20 feet to the ground and suffered unspecified injuries. Firefighters responded with initial medical treatment, and the victim was flown to Albany Medical Center. His condition was unknown, according to a report in The Leader Herald.
Father killed, son-in-law hurt by cut tree
A 72-year-old man died September 8, 2013, after a tree fell on him in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. The Scarborough man and his son-in-law were cutting down a tree when it fell on both of them.
Family members removed the tree from on top of the men and called 911 immediately. Both men were taken to a hospital in Huntsville, Ontario.
The older man died from his injuries while his 42-year-old son-in-law was airlifted to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto with serious injuries, according to a CTV Television report.
Sent in by Devon Hutton, SugarBush Tree Service in Coldwater, Ontario.
Four injured when tree falls at party
A festive block party in New Hyde Park, Hempstead, Long Island, New York, September 8, 2013, turned into chaos when a huge tree branch fell onto the revelers, injuring four of them: a man, 30, sustained a broken right leg; a woman, 43 suffered a large contusion to the right side of her face; a woman, 44, sustained a laceration to the top of her head; and another woman, 40, received abrasions to her forehead and back, and an unspecified shoulder injury.
Partygoers reported hearing the sounds of cracking wood moments before the branch fell onto a group of about 30 people. Apparently there were known issues with the tree in question – an oak that had sustained damage during Hurricane Sandy.
None of the injuries sustained by the four party attendees were life-threatening, according to a NewsLI.com report.
Trimmer hurt in 30-foot fall
A tree trimmer was hut when he fell about 30 feet from a tree at a residence in Hartland, Wisconsin, September 9.
The 55-year-old man was cutting a limb with a chain saw. As he cut the limb, it struck his ladder, throwing him and the running chain saw to the ground. The man did not come into contact with the saw while they were falling to the ground.
The man suffered injuries to his head and both arms and was transported to a local hospital, according to a FOX6 News report.
Man hurt in fall from ladder with saw
A man was injured September 10, 2013, in Franklin Township, New Jersey, when he fell off a ladder while trimming trees with a chain saw at his home.
The man, 37, was struck in the chest and arm by a chain saw, and he was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital by family members before police and first aid arrived, according to a report in The Somerset Reporter.
Tree cutter burned by power line
A worker with a local tree service suffered electrical burns September 12, 2013, after he apparently touched wires as he cut trees at a home in Smithfield Township, Pennsylvania. The worker was alert as he was taken by ambulance to the awaiting helicopter for a flight to a hospital.
The owner of the property where the man was working was inside when the man’s partner came to the door and told her to call an ambulance. The partner was able to use a wooden pole to get the man away from the wires, preventing further injuries.
That pine tree the company had been hired to take down had been removed, and the man was working on another nearby tree when he touched the wire, according to a Pocono Record report.
Homeowner dies in fall while trimming
A man fell to his death while trimming a tree at his Southern California home September 14, 2013. Gabriel Acosta, 46, of Riverside, was killed when he fell 15 to 20 feet from the tree. Acosta suffered two broken legs and a head injury in the fall, according to a report in The Sun newspaper in San Bernardino.
Man killed in struck-by
A man died while cutting down a tree September 16, 2013, in Oldham County, Kentucky, after the tree fell on him.
Two men were cutting down a tree when the tree landed on one of the men, who was taken to University of Louisville Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The other man was not hurt, according to a WAVE3 News report.
Man hurt when hit by cut tree
A rural man was airlifted to University Hospitals, Iowa City, September 16, 2013, after a tree fell on him in Maquoketa, Iowa.
Mick Clark of Maquoketa was cutting down a tree on his own property and had been there for a couple of hours when his son, Tim, called to check on him, and emergency personnel were dispatched.
It appeared the tree hit Clark and then rolled off. His injuries were severe, but no condition report was available, according to a Quad-City Times report.
Man dies in fall from palm
A man fell 50 feet to his death while trimming a palm on a Ventura, California, miniature golf course September 19, 2013. A branch broke and he fell.
Nicholas Rojas, 62, of Fillmore, died from blunt force trauma at a hospital about four hours later, according to a Ventura County Star/The Sacramento Bee report.
Two in bucket shocked by power line
Two tree trimmers injured in an accident September 20, 2013, in Glenville, New York, were later released from the hospital.
The two workers for a Schenectady, N.Y., tree service were trimming limbs from a bucket truck when they apparently moved too close to an overhead power line. Electricity arced from the line to them, throwing both of them from the bucket.
One man was reported dead on the scene, but emergency workers revived him with CPR. The other man had a burn on his hand. Both men were taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital, and one of them was then transferred to the burn unit at Westchester Medical Center.
Both men were discharged three days later, according to a report in The Daily Gazette.
Tree worker hurt in fall off truck
A city tree trimmer was taken to a West Palm Beach, Florida, hospital September 23, 2013, after he slipped off his bucket truck and fell 10 to 15 feet.
James Bailey, who’s worked for the city since January, told authorities he was standing atop the bucket truck, next to the bucket, when he slipped and fell onto a pile of palm fronds on the curb. Bailey was examined and later released, according to a The Palm Beach Post report.
Man hospitalized with beestings
Roger Moon, about 64, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and a tree service operator was hospitalized the week of September 23, 2013, after he was stung approximately 200 times.
According to an account reported directly a TCIA staff member, Moon fell into a coma for several days, then was sent to a nursing home/rehab facility, but is expected to make a full recovery.
Trimmer cuts self with chain saw
A man working for a tree-trimming service slipped and cut himself severely his own chain saw September 30, 2013, in Florham Park, New Jersey.
The man, 27, was working at a residence when he slipped, causing the chain saw to cut him in the left forearm. The chain saw then kicked back and cut the man in the face, hitting his nose.
Police, first-aid squad members and medics found the man lying on his back in the front yard, conscious and alert. Co-workers applied a rope as a tourniquet and applied pressure to the wounds with a towel.
The responders bandaged the wounds with a trauma dressing and transported the man to Morristown Medical Center, according to The Star-Ledger and www.NJ.com report.
August 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man rescued from tree
Xcel Energy crews working with emergency responders in Hereford, Texas, rescued an Amarillo man who was stuck in a tree August 1, 2013. Firefighters, police and paramedics responded but were unable to position a ground ladder to get to the man, who was suspended about 25 feet in the air by a safety rope. Nearby Xcel workers were called in and used their double-bucket lift to extract the man, who was gripping a limb mostly upside down with the rope tied around his lower legs and feet. One worker grabbed the man, while another cut the safety rope. The trimmer was then brought into the bucket and lowered to the ground, according to an Amarillo Globe-News report.
Trimmer cut with chain saw
A tree care worker was injured August 2, 2013, while working on a state contract clearing trees near I-395 northbound in Waterford, Connecticut. The highway was shut down while a helicopter landed to pick up the injured man. The victim was using a chain saw at the time and may have suffered a neck injury, according to a connecticut.cbslocal.com report.
Pregnant woman killed by falling tree in NYC park
A pregnant woman sitting on a park bench in Kissena Park in Queens, New York City, was struck and killed by a falling tree August 4, 2013, and another woman hit by the tree was seriously injured.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate Yingyi Li, 30, for several minutes, but she was pronounced dead after being taken to New York Hospital Queens. The other woman injured by the tree was in serious condition.
Some residents said they hoped the tragedy would push the city to spend more money on park maintenance, according to a www.nbcnewyork.com report.
Tree worker rescued after pinned
A tree cutter was rescued August 6, 2013, in Old Bridge, New Jersey, after he had gotten pinned by a falling limb 40 feet off the ground.
Trapped in the branches, the victim was stuck for about half an hour before a fellow worker in a bucket lift used a chain saw to cut the worker free.
The victim had not placed the rigging line properly on the limb, according to the owner of the tree care company. The victim suffered cuts to his hand, according to the CBS New York report.
One man killed, second hurt by car
One man was killed and a second injured August 7, 2013, when they were hit by a car while clearing storm debris from a road in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Eugene LaCombe, 67, of Appleton, was cutting a tree to remove it from the road with Keith Franks, 23, at about 1:40 a.m. LaCombe’s vehicle was parked in the northbound lane with its headlights and flashers on. They were in the southbound lane when they were struck by a vehicle operated by a 19-year-old from Porterfield, Wis.
LaCombe died at a local hospital, but Franks was expected to survive.
Heavy rain, wind and the glare of headlights from LaCombe’s vehicle contributed to the driver not seeing the men, according to a WISC-TV/Channel3000.com report.
Climber electrocuted performing line clearance
A tree worker died August 07, 2013, when he made contact with a power line while trimming a tree in Traverse City, Michigan.
The man, believed to be a Traverse City-area resident, was one of two tree care company employees working behind a residence doing utility line clearance. The victim had accessed the tree and tied himself off when he made contact with a primary high-voltage line. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Grand Rapids Press report.
Man killed cutting trees at church
A man who was volunteering to cut trees August 10, 2013, at his church in Columbus, Georgia, died after a tree limb fell on him.
One of the limbs fell and struck Glenn Nunley, 51, of Midland, Ga., in the head. He was taken to the hospital and died the next morning, according to a WRBL News 3 report.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A man was injured after slipping and falling 20 to 25 feet out of a tree August 11, 2013, in Kinmundy, Illinois.
Walter West, Jr. had been cutting limbs out of a large tree at his mother’s home when he slipped and fell when coming down for lunch. West landed on his back and left side on top of the large limbs he had cut out of the tree.
Kinmundy-Alma ambulance personnel took West to Salem Township Hospital where he was immediately loaded into a medical helicopter and taken to a St. Louis hospital for treatment, according to a WJBD Radio report.
Landscaper cuts leg with chain saw
A landscaper trying to saw through a small tree August 13, 2013, in West Newbury, Massachusetts, was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport after slicing open his leg with a chain saw. The blade tore through tree service employee’s upper right leg near his thigh, causing a substantial laceration.
By the time a police officer responded to the scene, the wound had all but stopped bleeding, thanks to quick-thinking people at the scene. While the officer described the wound as a “good gash,” those at the scene had applied pressure long enough to prevent life-threatening bleeding. The victim was treated for a serious but non-life threatening wound and transported via ambulance to Anna Jaques.
The victim is a longtime employee of the local tree company with plenty of tree removing experience, according to the Newburyport Daily News report.
Teen worker dies in fall
A teenager died August 13, 2013, after falling 50-feet from a tree in Clay County, Florida. Blake Bryant, 14, of Palatka fell after he accidentally cut through his safety harness while working for a tree service in Middleburg, Fla.
Bryant climbed a tree and was cutting off a section when the accident occurred. He was flown by helicopter to Shands Jacksonville where he was pronounced dead. Internal injuries caused by the fall proved to be fatal.
The teen was assisting on the project, but does not normally work for the company, according to a First Coast News-WTLV/WJXX report.
Tree worker injured in struck-by
A 29-year-old tree worker was in critical condition after a tree branch fell on him August 14, 2013, in Atlanta, Georgia. The man was working with a tree service company trimming trees when he was hit in the back of the head by a 3-foot-long, 8- to 10-inch diameter branch.
The man, who received a severe gash in the back of his head, was unconscious when emergency crews arrived. He was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center, according to a WSB-AM radio report.
Tree worker rescued after fall
Firefighters assisted with the technical rescue of a tree worker who fell from his aerial lift bucket August 14, 2013, in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
The worker was clearing branches from electrical lines, and somehow slipped, but was apparently saved by his safety line. He was dangling from the basket by that line for a time, but was not seriously hurt, according to the WWLP News 22 report.
Man hurt in fall from tree, wife injured
A man cutting tree branches suffered back and arm injuries after a 20-foot fall from a ladder August 14, 2013, in Wayland, Massachusetts. His wife was also injured when she tried to break his fall.
The 52-year-old man was complaining of back pain and had either a broken or dislocated right arm after the fall. The man did not lose consciousness, but showed signs of extremity fractures and possibly a chest injury. He was flown to a Boston hospital by a medical rescue helicopter.
The man’s wife was taken to Newton-Wellesley Hospital for treatment of an elbow and arm injury, according to a report in The MetroWest Daily News.
Operator injured when bucket breaks loose
A tree service employee was hospitalized after the bucket lift he was in broke from its boom and fell to the ground August 15, 2013, in Hillsdale, Michigan. The man, 41, was in critical condition a day later at the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio.
Workers for a Henrietta Township tree company had begun taking down a tree and the man was about 60 feet in the air when the area connecting the bucket to the boom broke. This caused most of the fiberglass bucket and the man to fall. The boom appeared to be fully extended and workers told authorities it had a 65-foot range, according to The Jackson Citizen Patriot report.
Tree worker hurt in fall
A tree trimmer was injured in a fall from a tree August 16, 2013, in Wayland, Massachusetts. Emergency responders found the man conscious and suffering from what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries. He complained primarily of a shoulder injury, lower back pain and various cuts and abrasions.
The worker had been secured in a safety harness at the time of the fall. Still, the man, estimated to be about 30 years old, fell from the tree all the way to the ground, about 35 feet below. He never lost consciousness. The man was stable and was transported via ambulance to an area hospital, according to a WaylandPatch.com report.
Homeowner injured in fall from ladder
A man was injured August 17, 2013, after falling off of a ladder in Bullville, New York. The man, who was atop a ladder cutting a tree at his home, was hit by a cut limb and fell off the ladder. He was taken by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center for treatment, according to a Times Herald-Record report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed August 18, 2013, in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, after being struck by a tree. The accident happened in a wooded area in Mill Village, Pa.
Douglas Brown, 50, was cutting trees with his father when a tree fell, hitting Brown on the head. Brown was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WJET-TV report.
Father dies cutting trees with sons
A man died August 18, 2013, in Oro-Medonte Township, Ontario, Canada, while cutting down trees for firewood.
The man, 49, and his two sons were cutting down dead trees in a wooded area adjacent to their property for winter firewood. They were working on the removal of a dead beech tree that suffered damage from an earlier break in its trunk. When the tree was cut, it shifted and fell toward the father, who was pinned beneath the tree. The sons had to cut the tree to get it off their father, according to a report in The Packet & Times.
Sent in by TCIA member Devon Hutton, owner of SugarBush Tree Service in Coldwater, Ontario.
Landscape worker electrocuted
A landscape worker died August 20, 2013, in Holliston, Massachusetts, after he hit a power line with a saw while cutting down tree branches and was engulfed in flames. Ryan Patrick Hopkins, 26, was airlifted by medical helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with his body covered in serious burns. He died at the hospital a short time later.
Police and fire officials found the man engulfed in flames while in a boom-hoist apparatus attached to a bucket truck. Firefighters could not immediately move the bucket because it was possibly electrified, so another worker used a truck to push the bucket away from the wire.
Two co-workers were below the truck when the man was shocked, but were not injured.
Hopkins was working for a Holliston landscape company at the time of the incident, and had been an employee for 10 years, according a report in The Sun Chronicle.
A report to TCIA indicated Hopkins was working in an un-insulated lift when he made contact with primaries.
Tree trimmers shot in rampage
An elderly Craven County, North Carolina, man was charged with shooting and injuring several people, including two tree trimmers, August 20, 2013, in Vanceboro, N.C. John Jenkins, 82, a Korean War vet, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Jenkins was apparently irate at the tree trimmers, possibly for leaving cut limbs on his property, and wounded three people before an officer returned fire and injured him.
Two tree trimmers, Angelo Williams and Brian Holden, were wounded first by a shotgun. Williams was stuck in the face, while Holden was hit by pellets in his mid-torso.
Authorities say Jenkins then went down the road and fired at two other workers who were in bucket trucks. They were not hit. A few minutes later Billy Dail, who lives nearby, was shot. Dail was wounded as he was trying to direct traffic away from the active shooting scene. He was hit on the left side of the face, head and hand.
Jenkins was hit in the face and head when he was shot by a Vanceboro Police Department officer and was listed in critical condition. Jenkins suffers from dementia and old age and the police had dealt with him in the past. He may suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, according to a WITN News report.
Trimmer dies under palm fronds
A tree trimmer died August 21, 2013, after getting caught underneath heavy fronds on a palm in Mesa, Arizona. The man was unresponsive when firefighters arrived after being called to a home where a trimming crew was working in the backyard.
The trimmer had used a belt and spikes to climb the tree and was about 35 feet up in the tree when he got caught by the weight of the fronds. Firefighters used a ladder truck to reach the body, according to a www.claimsjournal.com report.
Tree worker hurt in fall
A tree worker was hurt after falling from a tree August 26, 2013, in East Knoxville, Tennessee. The man fell 40 to 50 feet from a tree, hitting a large limb on the way down. The victim was working for an independent contractor. The victim’s condition was not immediately available, according to a WATE ABC Channel 6 report.
Trimmer dies from possible electrocution
A tree trimmer died Aug 31, 2013, after possibly being electrocuted on the job in Miramar, Florida.
Livabon Gerimere, 55, was pruning a tree at a home. When officials arrived on scene, they found Gerimere unresponsive and it appeared that he had been electrocuted. Rescue crews were unable to gain immediate access to him for fear that some wires were still live, so they had to wait for almost two hours for Florida Power & Light crews to arrive on scene before reaching Gerimere, who was pronounced dead on the scene, according to an NBC 6 South Florida report.
July 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Ground worker shocked near truck
A tree service ground worker was critically injured July 3, 2013, when he was shocked while helping remove a tree near an electrical line in Tully, New York.
Robert Lee, 20, of Cortland, N.Y., was standing near a truck – possibly touching it – when the truck’s boom hit a power line. The electricity traveled through Lee’s body on its way to the ground. He was reportedly not breathing when first responders arrived. He was listed in critical condition at Upstate University Hospital, according The Post-Standard report.
Contributed by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist with National Grid in Syracuse, N.Y.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A day laborer trimming a tree July 4, 2013, in Huntington, New York, was injured after he fell 10 to 15 feet.
The unidentified man, 42, had been hired by a homeowner to trim a tree, but other workers at the site said he was working without safety equipment. He was treated on the scene for cuts to the head, and head, neck and chest injuries. The victim was taken to Huntington Hospital in serious but stable condition, according to the Huntington Patch.
Worker injured by chain saw
A tree service worker was injured July 5, 2013, in a chain saw accident in White Pine, Tennessee. Lucas Hartman, 24, who owns a tree service business, was clearing branches from a tree at the private property when the accident occurred, according to a report in The Standard Banner.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man was killed July 6, 2013, in front of his New Bedford, Massachusetts, home after being crushed by a tree he was attempting to remove from his property.
Olimpio Tavares, 54, was working to cut down the dead tree, which was over a foot in diameter. He was using cables to brace the tree as he cut it down with a chain saw, and it appears that as it was falling the bottom quickly shot up and struck him to the ground. Tavares was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WPRI Channel 12 report.
Trimmer electrocuted
A man trimming trees was electrocuted in Bittinger, Maryland, July 8, 2013.
Brian K. DeBerry Jr., 28, of Oakland, Md., was working for a tree-trimming company cutting trees on private property and had climbed a tree to cut limbs when he came in contact with a live electrical line. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to an Associated Press report.
Tree trimmer burned by power lines
A man apparently trimming trees in a backyard suffered serious burns and was left dangling after he had become tangled in high-voltage power lines July 8, 2013, in Bellbrook, Ohio.
The tree service worker managed to right himself in his harness, but had to wait until rescuers were sure the power lines had been de-energized before they could get to him. The man’s body was burning when emergency personnel arrived at the home. Unable to get to the man because of concerns about the wires, emergency workers worked to keep him calm.
Dayton Power & Light de-energized the lines, and the man was able to use his safety harness and attached ropes to pull himself right-side up onto the tree so the rescue could occur. Once he was upright, crews were able to help him down a ladder. He was then taken by CareFlight to Miami Valley Hospital, according to a WHIO-TV report.
Man rescued from tree
A homeowner had to be rescued July 8, 2013, after he climbed 65 feet into a tree in his Fenton, Michigan, backyard to trim it and injured himself.
Ulvert Jackson, 70, was cutting a limb above his head but lost control of it. The limb went the wrong way, and the rope he was using, apparently on the limb, got caught on his foot and broke it. He couldn’t get down without assistance.
Jackson’s brother called 911 for help and the Fenton Fire Department safely lowered him to the ground about 45 minutes after the call. He was then transported to Genesys Health Park in Grand Blanc Township, where he was told his ankle required surgery, though he is scheduled to make a full recovery, according to the Tri-County Times report.
Tree worker dies in fall from bucket
A Cochranton, Pennsylvania, man died July 11, 2013, after falling from a bucket truck while cutting a tree in Sharpsville, Pa. Guy Burgess, 37, died from a head injury.
Burgess was trimming the final portion of the tree when he fell. The homeowner did not see the fall, but found the victim lying on the concrete when she came outside. She said another worker already had called 911, according to a WKBN-TV report.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
A tree trimmer was rescued July 13, 2013, after spending 90 minutes in a palm in Las Vegas, Nevada. (See photo at left) The man became stuck when several dead palm fronds slid down the tree trapping him inside. The man was working alone when he notified his wife by cellphone.
Firefighters found the man inside the frond skirt about 35 feet up the tree. The man had climbed up the tree using spikes attached to his boots and was tied into the tree so he would not fall. With the weight of the fronds pushing down and being tied into the tree, he was trapped.
Firefighters from Las Vegas Fire & Rescue’s Technical Rescue Team used extension ladders to get to the man and checked his medical condition. At the same time they cut the fronds away so they had accessibility, then brought the man down. The man was taken to the hospital for observation, according to a KSNV-TV NBC News 3 report.
Man killed in struck-by
A man died July 20, 2013, when he was struck by a falling limb while cutting a tree down in Mt. Carmel, Illinois.
Andrew James Pinard, 42, of Fort Branch, Ill., was standing on the ground when the limb from the tree fell to the ground, striking him. He was taken to Wabash General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Princeton Daily Clarion report.
Tree worker dies in fall from tree
A climber died July 22, 2013, while cutting sections of a tree at in Columbus, Georgia.
Cleveland Wayne Moore Jr., 54, an independent contractor from Dothan, Ala., was trimming trees in the backyard of the residence when the accident occurred. Moore had just cut a three-foot section of the tree when his safety strap reportedly broke and he fell 100 feet to the ground. He was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma a short time later, according to the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer report.
Worker hurt by cut palm top
A contractor was injured July 22, 2013, when a 25-foot section of palm fell on his head in Novato, California.
A four-member crew was working, two of whom were cutting down the palm when the contractor walked out of the home to place some debris in a waste bin, and the top section of the palm fell on his head.
The victim, 56, suffered neck pain but did not lose consciousness. He was taken to Marin General Hospital for treatment, according to the Marin Independent Journal article.
Woman killed by fallen tree branch
Barbara McWhorter, 57, was checking the backyard of her Columbus, Georgia, home for storm damage July 24, 2013, when she was killed by a falling tree limb, according to a WTVM report. A tree limb had fallen on the home and it appeared she was outside checking on it when another limb broke free and struck her in the head, according to an Associated Press report.
Contributed by Eric Gansauer, forestry administrator for the city of Columbus, Georgia.
Homeowner dies cutting tree
A homeowner died July 24, 2013, in Logan, Ohio, when a tree branch fell from a tree he was sawing at his home and struck him on the head. Arthur Nutt, 72, was found by a neighbor. A sheriff’s officer located a hand saw next to the tree.
It’s believed that when Nutt was sawing or possibly shaking the branch that struck him, its weight gave way, causing it to fall from a suspended location and strike him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Logan Daily News report.
Homeowner knocked from ladder dies
A man died July 26, 2013, after falling from a ladder while trimming a tree outside his Penfield, New York, home.
Frederick C. Venor, 56, was on a ladder when a branch fell on the ladder, knocking Venor and the ladder to the ground. Venor fell about 20 feet. He was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he died from his injuries a short time later, according to a report on www.democratandchronicle.com.
Line trimmer electrocuted
A line clearance worker was electrocuted July 27, 2013, while trimming trees in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Robert Rogers III, 42, of Orefield, Pa., was using a bucket truck as part of a crew for a tree service contractor trimming trees to clear distribution lines for PPL Utilities when he contacted a 12-kilovolt line. The contact sparked a fire that destroyed one tree truck and damaged two others. It also knocked out power to about 1,000 PPL customers, according to a report in The Morning Call.
Tree worker injured by cut tree
A man working on a tree cutting crew July 29, 2013, in the town of Montrose, Wisconsin, was seriously injured when a tree section fell on him.
Forrester Berry, 25, of Madison, Wis., was working with the crew when a large section of the tree fell on him, trapping him underneath. The crew cut sections of the tree away, which allowed them to free Berry. Berry was taken to UW Hospital by helicopter with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, according to a report on www.madison.com.
Man killed by cut section of tree
A man was killed July 30, 2013, in Martinsville, Virginia, when he was struck by a large section of a tree that was being cut down.
James “Jody” Manuel Carter Jr. was struck by part of the large oak that was being cut down by several men at a neighbor’s residence. A group was removing a large oak tree, and they had already climbed it and cut some limbs out of it. They attempted to cut the trunk of the tree into sections, and a piece that was about 12 inches in diameter fell into another tree and became wedged. Carter was among those trying to pull the stuck piece free. The section dislodged, striking Carter in the head, according to the Martinsville Bulletin report.
June 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Trimmer killed in struck-by
A tree-trimmer was killed in Orlando. Florida, June 1, 2013, when he was hit by a branch. The man, who had been hired to trim trees, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injures but later died, according to the Orlando Sentinel report.
Line clearance trimmer shocked
A tree service employee came in contact with a live wire June 5, 2013, in North Codorus Township, Pennsylvania, while trimming trees for power line clearance.
The worker was taken to York Hospital, then Johns Hopkins, according to The York Dispatch report.
Two trimmers hurt when ladder touches power line
Two tree workers were severely injured June 10, 2013, when their ladder made contact with a high-voltage power line in Kenner, Louisiana. The men, ages 51 and 41, were taken to a local hospital where they were listed in critical condition.
A homeowner apparently tapped the pair of friends to remove two trees from her backyard. Investigators don’t know if the men were contractors or had insurance.
Their aluminum ladder came in contact with power lines estimated to have a possible 13,000 volts. Investigators don’t know whether the men were on the ladder or just touching it when it made contact. Arriving officers found the men suffering from severe burns and other injuries, according to The Times-Picayune report.
Man shocked trimming near power lines
A man was shocked by power lines while trimming trees in south Cape Coral, Florida, June 15, 2013. The man was harnessed to a ladder and trimming a palm when a branch apparently struck a single phase primary conductor. Firefighters used a rope to secure the man to keep him from falling as they worked to bring him down. He was semiconscious when he left the scene, according to The News-Press report.
Landscape worker killed in struck-by
A landscaping company employee was struck by a limb and killed under a tree being trimmed June 16, 2013, in Princeton, New Jersey. Jose Delcid, 40, of Ewing, N.J., was working under the 130-foot tree at a home while another worker was up in the tree cutting with a chain saw. A 15-foot limb broke free from its safety tether and fell to the ground, striking Delcid on the head. He suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Times of Trenton.
Contributed by Gary Dempster, a climber with Nature’s Way Farm & Trees, LLC in Chesterfield, New Jersey.
Climber rescued after being hurt aloft
A man injured while working in a tree June 16, 2013, in Fairfield, Connecticut, had to be rescued by firefighters and hospitalized for treatment of his injuries. Firefighters responding to a 911 call found the man stranded about 40 feet above the street, where he had suffered what was described as a serious injury while working on the tree. The man, who wearing a harness and linked to climbing ropes, was rescued using a ladder truck, according to the minutemannewscenter.com report.
Man killed felling tree
A man was killed June 17, 2013, in Palm Harbor, Florida, after a tree he was cutting down struck him. Dan Paul Butts, 63, and his girlfriend, Beverly Drew, 50, were clearing trees from their backyard and Butts had cut a tree with a chain saw. After tying a rope to the tree, Drew got into their Ford SUV and began pulling the tree with the vehicle. Drew heard a scream and saw the tree had fallen on Butts and that a branch had impaled him. She called 911 and attempted CPR. EMS responded and Butts was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Bay News 9 report.
Tree worker dies in fall from tree
A tree trimmer in Anderson County, Kentucky, died June 17, 2013, after he fell 35 feet from a tree. Ramiro Rosario Gomez, 36, of Danville, Ky, was in the backyard of a home when a limb he was standing on broke. Gomez and the limb landed on a chain link fence. Emergency responders tried life saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at a Frankfort hospital, according to LEX 18 television news.
Operator dies after limb strikes bucket
A tree worker was killed June 17, 2013, in Warrenville, South Carolina, after he fell from a cherry picker while cutting down a tree. Joseph Benjamin Lord, 47, of Gloverville, S.C., died from traumatic internal injury.
Lord, an employee of a local tree service, was in the bucket 35 to 50 feet off the ground cutting a tree at a home when a piece of the trunk he’d cut fell back onto the bucket and knocked him and the bucket to the ground. Lord was transported to Georgia Regents Medical Center, where he died in surgery. The homeowner said that the tree had been struck by lightning and that it split while Lord was cutting it, according the Aiken Standard report.
Company owner killed in tree failure
Steve Cirucci, 49, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and owner of A Cut Above Tree Removal, LLC in Murrysville, Pa., was killed when a silver maple he was climbing failed below him during a rigging operation June 18, 2013.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A worker was killed June 19, 2013, after a tree fell on him while he was removing debris in a wooded area on or near the Columbia Golf Club in Columbia, Illinois. The man, 44, was one of four crew members of a tree service company removing trees at the time of the incident, according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A climber was hospitalized June 20, 2013, after he fell about 30 feet from a tree he was working on in Tolland, Connecticut.
A homeowner hired the Ellington, Conn., man to do some tree work. Apparently a branch the man was cutting came down, snagged his climbing rope and pulled him down, causing him to land on a tree already on the ground, according to a Journal Inquirer report.
Driver injured by felled tree
A man driving with his wife was critically injured after a tree being cut on the side of the road fell on the their passing car June 20, 2013, in New Hampton, New Hampshire. Thomas Ochs, 69, of Sanbornton, N.H., was driving with his wife, Lillian, when a tree fell on the driver’s side of their 2009 Toyota Camry. The tree cut by David Fernandes, 39, of Danbury, N.H., struck the driver’s side door and front hood at the level of the rear-view mirror, crushing the driver’s side of the car and slightly damaging the passenger side.
The car continued moving for about 100 feet after the tree struck, leaving the road and hitting a rock wall. Police and rescue crews used heavy equipment free Thomas Ochs from the car. He was listed in critical condition at a Lebanon, N.H., hospital. Lillian Ochs was taken to Lakes Region General Hospital with a minor cut to her arm.
Fernandes, owner of a tree business, was hired to cut some trees, ironically, so they wouldn’t fall on a passing car. Fernandes notched the ash, about 12-16 inches wide at its base, to fall in one direction, but the upper part started to dip in the other direction, and it fell that way, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader report.
Worker killed in stump grinder accident
A tree service worker was killed June 20, 2013, in an accident involving a stump grinder at a residence in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, according to a report in the New Hampshire Union Leader. The man apparently became caught in the moving wheel of the grinder, suffering traumatic injuries, according to a Seacoastonline.com report. The operator was working alone and there were no witnesses. The machine had been shut off but the wheel was spinning at the time of the incident.
Trimmer shocked by power line
A tree worker, 22, was critically injured when a tool he was using touched a power line June 24, 2013, in Elgin, Illinois. A group of contractors was attempting to remove a large portion of a tree near utility lines when a long pole being used by the victim contacted a wire. The worker collapsed and emergency crews found him not breathing. Responding police officers performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
Paramedics re-established a pulse and breathing, then took the man to the hospital. He was later transferred for treatment of burns, according to a CBS 2 report and information from the Chicago Sun-Times.
Operator hurt when trimmer overturns
The operator of a tree trimmer was injured June 25, 2007, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, when the unit tipped. David Lipsey, 32, was injured when his Jarraff tree-trimmer overturned in a wooded area. He was later listed in fair condition at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, according to The Vicksburg Post.
Operator falls to his death from bucket
A bucket operator died June 25, 2013, in Monticello, in Wayne County, Kentucky, after a cut tree apparently struck the aerial lift’s boom, causing the bucket liner and operator to fall to the ground. Kevin Miller, 29, was alert and talking immediately after falling from 50 to 60 feet. But he later died at the scene, according to a WKYT report.
Climber electrocuted when line hits wire
A man hired to trim trees at a South San Jose, California, home was electrocuted June 26, 2013.
Guadalupe Arteaga, 52, of San Jose, who was working for a tree service and landscaping company, was climbing on branches over an energized power line when a safety rope or throw line fell onto the active line. The rope acted as a conduit, carrying the electrical current to Arteaga. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a KPIX 5 CBS and Bay City News Service report, and a San Jose Mercury News report.
Trimmer rescued after pinned by limb
Emergency responders helped rescue a tree trimmer stuck and injured about 40 feet up in a tree on June 27, 2013, in Watertown, North Carolina.
The tree service worker was cutting branches away from a home when a gust of wind caused a branch to pin his arm and leg. The man was alert and responsive when crews rescued him off of the 35-year-old elm tree. The tree trimmer was stuck for about an hour, according to the WGHP FOX8 report.
May 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree worker hurt by felled tree
A tree worker was hurt May 2, 2013, after being struck by a tree cut by a co-worker in Webster County, West Virginia.
Mitchell Sanson, 23, was part of a crew contracted by the Division of Highways to clear trees left after Superstorm Sandy along Route 15 on Hodam Mountain. A co-worker cut a tree and looked down to make sure Sanson saw the tree falling down the mountainside, but the tree struck Sanson in the head.
Sanson sustained head trauma and was flown by a medical helicopter to CAMC General in Charleston, where he was listed in stable condition, according to a WBOY-TV report.
Man killed by felled tree
Jerald V. Platt, 45, of Camden, New York, was killed May 03, 2013, when a tree he was cutting fell on him in Constantia, Oswego County, N.Y. Platt and another man were logging in a wooded area on a dirt road off county Route 17. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The tree that fell on Platt was more than 3 feet in diameter and likely killed him instantly, according to The Post-Standard report.
Contributed by Brian Skinner, senior arborist in the Central Division for National Grid in New York.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree service employee was killed May 6, 2013, when he was struck by a limb while clearing branches around power lines near Magalia, in Butte County, California. The worker was struck by a branch while working in a tree along the road. No further details were available according to the KHSL-TV report.
Tree worker killed in fall from bucket
A tree service aerial lift operator was killed May 13, 2013, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, while trimming trees on property along the Silas Creek Parkway.
The victim was operating a bucket lift truck when the boom arm failed, causing the victim to fall into a creek on the property. Emergency Services crews started CPR on the victim when they arrived, but he did not survive, according to the WFMY News 2 report.
Two taken to hospital after crane tips
A tree service crane being used to trim a 40-foot tree tipped over onto a Spotswood, New Jersey, home May 13, 2013, sending a resident and the operator to the hospital. The weight of the tree limb was too much for the crane to handle, according to the local fire chief.
Crews were working to remove a limb when the crane boom fell. Part of the boom fell on a detached garage. It also damaged a home with a woman inside. She was not hurt, but suffered shock and was taken to the hospital. The crane operator also went to the hospital, according to a News 12 Long Island report.
Man moving tree killed by limb
A man was killed in Arcanum, Ohio, May 26, 2013, when he was struck in the head by the limb of a tree he was trying to clear from a wooded area. James Miltenberger, of Castine, was dead at the scene, about 25 miles northwest of Dayton.
Miltenberger and another man were trying to clear a wooded area and were cutting a tree that was already on the ground. The men were trying to roll the tree over with a tractor. When the tree rolled, a limb struck Miltenberger, who was operating the tractor, according to the Radio 92.3 The Fan WKRK-FM report.
Contributed by David M. Kennedy, a registered consulting arborist in Columbus, Ohio.
Tree trimmer shocked by power line
A tree trimmer contracted by Duck River Electric was hospitalized in stable condition after a jolt from a power line knocked him off his perch behind a residence in Columbia, Tennessee, May 28, 2013.
Steven Keuin of Nashville was in a tree cutting branches near a power line when a limb touched the line. The accident left Keuin dangling from his safety line.
Keuin suffered superficial burns to his hands and was in stable condition when he was airlifted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, according to a report in The Daily Herald.
Tree worker survives lightning strike
A 19-year-old ground worker for a tree service survived being struck by lightning May 29, 2013, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Two workers were pruning trees in Devon, southwest of Edmonton. The young man was on the ground, while his co-worker was working in a bucket. The weather was grey and gloomy, but there were no signs of thunder or lightning, according to a supervisor of the tree company.
The first lightning strike the workers witnessed struck beside the young man on the ground. The lightning hit a tree nearby, and went through the young man’s legs. He received serious electrical burns. The worker in the bucket felt a tingle from the lightning, but was not seriously injured.
Both workers were taken to hospital. The second worker was released from hospital shortly after being admitted and was back at work on the next day. The 19-year-old was kept overnight and released the next day.
One of the workers described the lightning strike as “the loudest noise he’s ever heard in his life,” according to The Edmonton Journal report.
Tree workers seriously hurt by cut tree
Two North Carolina Department of Transportation tree service contractors were seriously hurt May 30, 2013, when a tree landed on them in Henderson County, N.C. The pair were part of a crew cutting trees along the shoulder of Sugarloaf Road.
Randy Self, 45, and Jimmy Roberts, 39, were rushed to Mission Hospital, one with a chest injury and the other an injured hip. Self reportedly suffered seven broken ribs and a collapsed lung, but was in good condition. Roberts was in fair condition, according to the WLOS News13 report.
April 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Trimmer hurt when boom truck tips
A tree trimmer sustained minor injuries April 1, 2013, when the bucket truck he was in tipped over in Twin Falls, Idaho. The man was in the bucket when the truck fell over. It was unknown right away what caused the truck to tip. The man sustained minor abrasions but was not transported to a hospital from the scene, according to the Twin Falls Times-News.
Man pinned, injured by cut tree
A tree service worker suffered serious injuries after a cut tree fell on him at a home in Chesterfield County, Virginia, April 03, 2013. The victim was awake and breathing after the tree fell on him, according to WRIC ABC channel 8 and WWBT NBC12 reports.
A neighbor brought over a tractor to help lift the tree off the victim, according to a CBS 6 WTVR-TV report. The tree was too heavy for the tractor to fully remove, but it was able to lift the tree partially. Once Chesterfield fire crews arrived, they used airbag technology to stabilize and finish lifting the tree off the victim.
The man was taken to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center by ambulance where he was listed in stable condition.
Homeowner dies in fall from tree
Mathew Nagel, 44, died April 6, 2013, after falling from a tree on his property in Lexington, North Carolina.
A retired 20-year Army veteran, Nagel was trimming a pine tree and had taken precautions, including putting on a safety harness before beginning work. But part of the tree he cut fell in an unexpected direction, knocking him from the tree and snapping his safety line. He broke his neck in the fall and died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, according to the Winston-Salem Journal report.
Man killed by cut tree
An Onalaska, Washington, man hit on the back of the head April 8, 2013, by a tree being cut down on his property subsequently died from his injuries.
John C. Hazen, 43, who worked as a maintenance person for a local logging outfit, had his employer helping him his clear land. Hazen, who didn’t have a hard hat on because he wasn’t part of the tree cutting crew, for some unknown reason ran in front of an evergreen tree as it was being dropped.
He was flown to a Vancouver, Wash., hospital after the incident. Death was caused by blunt trauma to the head, according to a Lewis County Sirens report.
Contributed by Zeb Haney, BCMA, owner of TCIA member Tree Resource in Federal Way, Washington.
Woman, 79, pinned by tree she felled
A 79-year-old Holliston, Massachusetts, woman was rushed to the hospital April 11, 2013, after a tree she was chopping down in her backyard fell on her. Beatrice Wardford was cutting down the tree herself, using an axe.
Her neighbor, Katelyn Springsteen, 16, was walking home from the school bus when she heard Wardford’s cries. “It sounded like a cat meowing. As I got closer I heard the cries for help,” she told WBZ-TV.
The tree was 30-40 feet tall and 10 inches in diameter. Springsteen, who immediately called 911, said the tree was on her left hip, with her right hip to the ground, and was crushing her.
A local firefighter who lives nearby and heard the emergency call was the first one on the scene and said the woman was having trouble breathing. He lifted trunk up a few inches at first, and then about a foot. Katelyn’s father, Hank, quickly moved the victim out from under the tree.
There was a rope tied to the tree indicating the woman may have been trying to pull the tree down after the cut and didn’t get out of the way fast enough. Feisty to the end, Wardford tried to refuse medical transport to UMass Medical Center in Worcester, according to the WBZ-TV report.
Contributed by Ellis Allen, privileged TCIA member-retired, from Mashpee, Mass.
Man hurt falling from tree with running chain saw
A man was hurt April 13, 2013, in Norwalk, Ohio, after he fell out of a tree with a running chain saw. James E. Sayre, 37, was transported to Fisher-Titus Medical Center for treatment.
Sayre was up in a tree in a backyard when he lost his footing. The top of his right hand was cut with the chain saw, which was still running.
Sayre had his hand wrapped in a towel by the time firefighters arrived, and was conscious and alert, according to the Norwalk Reflector report.
Man breaks leg cutting tree
A 49-year-old Wayne, Pennsylvania, man was cutting a large tree in Solebury, Pa., April 13, 2013, when a piece fell, knocking him to the ground and breaking his leg.
The man sustained a compound fracture to his left leg. Paramedics treated the man and transported him to St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown for additional treatment of his injuries, according to The Intelligencer Journal and PhillyBurbs.com reports.
Contributed by Gary Dempster, a climber with Nature’s Way Farm & Trees, LLC in Chesterfield, New Jersey.
Golfer killed by limb from cut tree
A golfer apparently seeking to retrieve a ball he had hit into a wooded area adjacent to the Montammy Golf Club in Alpine, Bergen County, New Jersey, was struck and killed by a cut tree limb April 14, 2013.
Sung K. Paik, 60, of Union City, N.J., was struck by a limb from a dead tree workers were in the process of cutting down at an adjacent home.
Paik had sliced the ball into the woods and replaced it with another ball to finish the play, but apparently stepped into the yard looking for the ball that he had lost. The tree workers stopped using their chain saws when they spotted the golfers in the area, to avoid disturbing them with the noise, according to a police report. They then yelled at Paik to go back when they saw him coming into the yard. But they had pretty much cut through the tree, and it just gave way on its own, and one of the large limbs hit Paik.
Paik’s companion, a dentist, tried to administer CPR, and another golfer on the course, who happened to be a physician, rushed over to help. Paik was then rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, according to The Record report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A man felling a large tree April 15, 2013, behind a home in Richmond, Kentucky, was killed when the tree or part of it struck him as it came down.
Kevin Turpin, 39, of Bybee, Ky., was pronounced dead at the scene. He died from blunt force trauma to the head and chest, according to a Richmond Register report.
Bucket operator killed in 60-foot fall
A tree company owner was killed April 16, 2013, in Anderson County, South Carolina, when he fell more than 60 feet from a basket crane while removing a pine tree. Gerald Lee Culler Jr., 36, owner of Anderson Arbor Pros, died after an employee working on the tree needed help and Culler took over.
Culler apparently asked the owner of the basket lift if Culler could operate the lift. The lift owner asked Culler if he was going to take safety equipment up with him, but Culler apparently declined, saying he didn’t need it and left the gear on the ground.
The pine was about 110 feet tall. Culler was topping the tree at about 65 feet when the tied-off portion of the tree swung around and hit the basket, turning it upside down and throwing Culler out and to the asphalt driveway below, according to the WYFF 4 report.
Man electrocuted trimming tree
A man was electrocuted April 22, 2013, while trimming trees around power lines near Brodheadsville, Pennsylvania.
Jimmy Hernandez, of East Stroudsburg, Pa., had been hired to cut limbs off of trees in the front yard of a home. He tied a rope around his waist, then climbed a metal ladder and started cutting down limbs with a metal saw. He was cutting tree branches away from power lines and at some point leaned over and his stomach touched the power line running through the branches.
Hernandez was stuck in the tree with the live wire and the only way his body could be brought down was for the power to be shut off. Within an hour the PPL crews were on scene and cut power to a part of the neighborhood, according to the WNEP, Channel 16 report.
Homeowner killed by cut limb
A wayward branch killed a man April 22, 2013, in East Drumore Township, Pennsylvania, when it fell on him while a tree on his property was being cut down.
Martin J. Rineer, 58, and his sister were having poplars on their property logged when Martin went to tell workers that a truck (to haul the wood) would not be arriving that day.
He was struck by a large branch and died immediately. The tree, with a trunk about 26 inches in diameter, fell in a different direction than intended, according to the Intelligencer Journal report.
Homeowner injured by cut tree
A homeowner was injured April 23, 2013, in Logan, Utah, when a tree he was cutting fell in different direction than intended, pinning his leg.
Brett Tarbet was in a tree he was trimming and the tree or a section of it was reportedly tied off to control the direction it fell. However, when Tarbet made the cut, the trunk came back toward him, trapping his leg.
His family was able to free his leg before emergency personnel arrived. With the help of EMS, Tarbet was removed from the tree and transported to the hospital, according to The Herald Journal report.
Contributed by Mark Malmstrom, owner of TCIA member Total Tree Care, Inc. in Logan, Utah, whose company was called in after the accident to take down a tree that was hung up and another that was partially cut through.
“By the look of things he is lucky that he was not killed,” writes Malmstrom. “His leg was broken in two places. He had surgery to install a metal rod and spent a couple of days in the hospital. It is a marvel that more do-it-yourselfers are not injured or killed – no PPE and just making it up as they go in tree removal.”
Man hurt in 30-foot fall
A man was rushed to the hospital April 25, 2013, after he took a 30-foot fall while trimming a tree at a home in Huntsville, Alabama.
It was unknown whether the man works for a tree cutting service that was in the neighborhood or was just helping out, but authorities believe he was cutting down trees in the backyard when he fell. Some equipment was left on the roof, along with a tree branch. His name and condition had not been released at the time of the WAFF Channel 48 report.
One tree service worker killed, another injured in winch-line mishap
One man was killed and another injured April 25, 2013, in Talleyville, Delaware, when the winch line on a brush chipper they were using apparently snapped, striking both of them.
Luis Benjamin Sanchez, 60, of Upper Darby, Pa., died and a 47-year-old co-worker sustained pelvic and abdominal injuries. The two men were working for a local tree service using a wood chipper at a home when a steel braided cable used to pull tree limbs to the shredder became caught and sheared off, hitting both men.
Sanchez was flown to Christiana Hospital with injuries to his chest and extremities and died of his injuries a short time later. The 47-year-old man was initially listed in serious condition but later improved to stable and was recovering from his injuries, according to The News Journal report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree company employee was killed April 26, 2013, when he was struck in the head by a limb from a cut tree in Alpharetta, Georgia. Misael Soriano Elorza, 41, of Doraville, was part of a crew removing a tree when he was struck from behind. A co-worker was cutting a large tree at its base when it fell, causing a limb to hit Elorza.
The impact caused Elorza to fall backward and into a creek, where he was submerged, his two co-workers told police. Elorza was pulled from the water by his co-workers.
All three workers were wearing protective gear, including hard hats, at the time of the incident. Elorza’s hard hat was cracked by the limb. Paramedics administered CPR to Elorza, who was transported to North Fulton Hospital. He died the next day, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
Man trapped under cut tree
A man clearing trees April 26, 2013, in the Bowden area of Randolph County, West Virginia, was injured after a tree fell on him, trapping him. Firefighters were able to get him out from under the tree. He was flown to a hospital, but there was no immediate word on his name or condition, according to a WDTV Channel 5 report.
Man dies while cutting trees at church
A volunteer trimming trees at his church died April 27, 2013, in Polk County, Florida, after falling over 20 feet from a tree.
Stephen Pederson had been using an electric saw, but one of the trimmed limbs hit a power line and power was lost. Pederson began descending from the tree with his equipment but as he approached the ladder removed a safety harness he’d been using. Pederson then appeared to lose his footing and fell to the ground.
Initially conscious and alert, Pederson was transported to Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where his condition continued to deteriorate and he died, according to the WTSP-TV Channel 10 report.
Man hurt in fall from tree
A man fell at least 30 feet from a tree April 27, 2013, in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, and had to be flown by helicopter to a Boston hospital.
The man, in his mid-30s, suffered multi-trauma injuries after he fell at his home. Rescue crews were unsure of what he was doing in the tree. They did find a saw, but didn’t know if he was using it when he fell.
The man’s injuries were serious enough that he had to be flown to Boston Medical Center, according to the Cape Cod Times report.
Tree worker hurt in fall from bucket
A bucket operator was injured April 30, 2013, in Orange, Connecticut, after falling or jumping from his bucket only to have it and part of the tree he was cutting land on top of him.
Contractors were removing a tree at a private residence and made a cut in the tree top about 20-feet up. When it became apparent that the tree as not going to fall in the right direction, the arborist in the bucket tried to get out of the way and either jumped, was thrown, or fell from the bucket. He landed on the ground, the bucket landed on top of him, pinning his lower extremities (legs) and the tree landed on top of the bucket trapping the man.
In addition to the victim being trapped, the falling tree also fell onto the house, damaging it and knocking over a propane tank, which then began leaking.
Electricity to the home had to be turned off for safety reasons. Firefighters used the services of a tow truck on the scene to put a strap around the tree to make sure it wouldn’t move any further; the fire department used its air bags to raise the tree off the bucket that had landed on the victim; and a jaws of life tool was used to lift the bucket off the victim so he could be removed.
Emergency responders and doctor monitored the patient during the 40 minutes it took to extricate him, then accompanied him to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where he was admitted in critical but stable condition, according to a www.orangectlive.com report.
March 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Company owner killed in fall from a ladder
The owner of a painting and tree trimming company died March 4, 2013, after he fell from a ladder while working on a tree in the Haydenville section of Williamsburg, Massachusetts. Duane Miller, 58, of Vermont, was working on a ladder and using a chain saw when he fell, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette in North Hampton.
Submitted by David Hawkins, CTSP, consultant with Urban Forestry Solutions, Inc. in Pelham, Mass.
Climber rescued after struck-by
Firefighters in Snohomish County, Washington, rescued a tree trimmer stuck 30 feet up a tree after he was injured by a falling limb March 19, 2013.
The trimmer was cutting limbs from a tree in the backyard of a home in the north Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace. Neighbors who called for help reported seeing a limb the man was cutting come loose, swing around and slam him into the tree trunk. They saw his body go limp.
The man, in his mid-30s, regained consciousness but was hurt and stuck, secured with a rope system. A technical rescue team and ladder truck responded. The trimmer was able to walk down the ladder with help from firefighters.
He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with injuries that were described as serious but not life-threatening, according to The Seattle Times report.
Tree company owner seriously injured in struck-by
Ray McAraw, owner of a tree service in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, suffered a fractured neck and back March 23, 2013, when he was struck by a 5-inch diameter, 4-foot long section of a pine tree falling from about 40 feet.
Reported directly to a TCIA staff member.
Man dies in fall from tree
Russell Rusty Jones, 51, of Sour Lake, Texas, was seriously injured March 23, 2013, when he fell from a tree he was working on in Nederland. Jones was taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont where he was admitted. He died there on March 27, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.
Tree worker killed by cut tree
A Keeseville, New York, man died March 23, 2013, after a tree he was cutting down in the woods behind his home fell on top of him. Daniel R. Laduke, 51, owner and operator of North Country Tree Service in Keeseville, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police believe the accident occurred sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., when Laduke’s body was discovered by a friend. An autopsy determined Laduke’s death was caused by crush injuries to the chest as a result of being struck by a falling tree, according to The Press Republican in Plattsburgh, N.Y.
The paper reported that, according to his website, Laduke was an ISA Certified Arborist with 30 years of experience in the pruning, treating or technical removal of trees and hedges. Laduke was wearing protective gear, including a helmet, chaps and steel-toe boots when the accident occurred.
Submitted by Peter R. Landau, ASCA consulting arborist and a certified arborist with Northeast Arboricultural Associates in Accord, New York.
Tree worker hurt in fall from bucket
A tree worker who fell 25 to 30 feet from a bucket truck March 25, 2013, in Norwell, Massachusetts, was flown to a Boston hospital with serious injuries.
The worker, thought to be in his late 20s, was conscious and breathing when emergency crews arrived. A helicopter took the worker to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, according to The Patriot Ledger.
Tree worker hurt in fall from tree
A 57-year-old tree trimmer was taken to the hospital in serious condition March 27, 2013, after he fell from a tree while working in the Salt Lake neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The man fell 10 to 15 feet, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Submitted by Carol L. Kwan, certified arborist and president of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Man, 68, killed by cut tree
A 68-year-old man was killed March 29, 2013, by a falling tree at a residence in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Emergency responders found that a man was cutting a tree on property belonging to a family member, and that the tree shifted and started falling to the ground.
The victim was unable to get out of the danger zone and the tree struck him causing massive injuries. The victim succumbed to the injuries he sustained, according to a Chattanoogan.com report.
February 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Trimmer injured when crane tips
A bucket operator suffered a broken leg February 7, 2013, in Haddonfield, New Jersey, after he jumped from his bucket onto the roof of a home when the crane he was working with tipped over during a pick.
The crane was parked in front of the home and a bucket truck was parked next to the home. The 50-foot tree was being removed because it was too close to the home and was leaning toward a neighbor’s home. But the crew apparently misjudged the weight of the tree section they were removing, according to emergency responders on the scene, and the crane tipped over toward the house and ended up resting on the tires on the left side of the truck.
As the crane came down, the worker in the bucket spotted the crane and jumped out of the bucket and onto the home’s roof. The worker was taken to an area hospital with a broken leg.
The crane operator and owner was stuck in the cab for an hour as emergency workers cleared live power lines from around the vehicle. He was not hurt.
Two separate cranes were brought to right the 60,000-pound tipped crane, all according to philadelphia.cbslocal.com and NBC10 Philadelphia reports.
Man struck by tree limb, hospitalized
A man was hospitalized February 12, 2013, in Columbus, Ohio, after sustaining serious head and neck injuries after being hit by a limb while felling a tree at Camp Marengo/Ohio Retreat Center.
Mike Crothers, 39, of Fulton, was cutting down a tree when the tree fell into a second tree – which fell into a third tree, breaking off a large limb that fell and struck him on the head. Crothers was transported to Grant Medical Center by MedFlight where he underwent surgery, according to The Morro County Sentinel.
Worker injured in fall in tree
A climber was injured February 15, 2013, in Belleville, New Jersey, when the limb he was standing on snapped causing him to fall. The climber was wearing a harness and was lowered to the ground and taken to the University Hospital in Newark. The extent of his injuries was unclear. It was not known if the injured individual was a town employee or a contracted worker, or if he was conscious when he was removed from the scene, according to the Belleville Times report.
Worker hurt in tree-cutting accident
A Parsippany, New Jersey, town worker was injured on the job February 21, 2013, while cutting down a large ash tree on town property. The ash apparently split and twisted then fell, trapping the lower part of the man’s left leg between it and another tree.
Rescue personnel used airbags and cribbing to stabilize and lift the tree to allow the victim to be extricated. The injured man was taken to Morristown Medical Center, but the extent of the victim’s injuries was not immediately known, according to the parsippany.patch.com report.
Man hurt by cut tree
A man suffered a serious head injury February 23, 2013, when he was struck by a falling tree as he helped friends clear land at a house in Garland, Maine.
Bryant Drew, 34, of Garland, was flown by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center after the accident. He was in critical condition on Saturday night at EMMC and discharged to another facility the next day.
Drew was apparently cutting down a tree that had a trunk about half a foot thick when the falling tree struck another and hit him on the back of the head. Two friends he was there helping immediately went to his aid and called 911. Drew was reported unconscious at the scene, according to the Bangor Daily News report.
Trimmer dies in palm fronds
A climber died February 23, 2013, after becoming trapped by collapsing fronds while trimming a palm in Huron, California. Fresno County firefighters responding to a call about a man stuck in a tree found Cristobal Cabral, 57, of Coalinga already dead, pinned by the fronds. The cause of death had not been determined, according to The Fresno Bee report.
Man killed cutting tree limb
A man was killed while clearing trees in a field in Center Township, in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, February 24, 2013.
Jason William Drew, 30, of Armstrong Township, was using a chain saw to cut down a large branch about 18 feet in the air when the saw got stuck. He and his uncle tried to free the chain saw by wrapping a chain around the limb and pulling on it with a tractor. The branch suddenly snapped and fell on top of Drew, who was pronounced dead at the scene from blunt force trauma to the head, according to the KDKA-TV report.
A WTAE-TV report described the saw as “an extended chain saw” and said the limb being cut was about 18 feet off the ground.
Submitted by Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Third tree falling down hits, kills boy
A 10-year-old boy died February 27, 2013, after being struck by a falling tree near his home in southeast Iowa on February 24, 2013. Garrett Brockway, of Burlington, Iowa, was with his father, Bruce Brockway, while his dad was clearing trees near their home. A tree Bruce Brockway was removing with an excavator knocked over another tree, which knocked over a third tree that struck Garrett in the head. He died at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, according to a report from KCCI News 8 in Des Moines.
Man killed in struck-by
A man died February 25, 2013, in Onida, South Dakota, after he was struck by a tree that was being cut down. Wayne Rawstern, 78, was helping neighbors as they worked to cut down a large tree in a vacant lot when the accident happened. Rawstern was assisting two others who were trying to fell the tree when it spun around the wrong way and Rawstern was crushed under it. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the dakotaradiogroup.com report.
Tree worker hurt by cut tree
A tree worker suffered life-threatening injuries February 27, 2013, when a tree reportedly fell on him in Valdese, in Burke County, North Carolina.The man was clearing an area near high-voltage power lines when a tree fell, striking him.
More than a dozen rescuers rushed to the aid the worker, but their response was hindered by a creek and wet conditions. To get to the scene, the rescuers had to walk nearly a mile away from where they parked on a set of railroad tracks.
The worker was taken to Grace Hospital in Morganton. His condition was not immediately clear, according to Fox 8 WGHP and WSOC reports.
Worker dies in fall from bucket
A worker died February 27, 2013, after he fell from a bucket while working on a tree in Houston, Texas. The man was about 40 feet up trimming a tree at a home when he fell. He died at the hospital, according to a KHOU-TV Channel 11 report.
January 2013 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Trimmer using pole pruner electrocuted
A tree trimmer was electrocuted January 5, 2013, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, when his pole pruner contacted a power line. Enrique Torres, 31, of Cudahy, Calif., was about 25 feet up in a pine tree trimming its branches when his 10-foot pruning shear came into contact with an overhead electrical cable. An initial investigation showed that he may have hung his pruning shear on the electrical wire, triggering the charge, which also knocked out power to nearby residences, according to the Daily Breeze in Torrance, Calif.
Climber shocked by power lines
Craig Benavidez, 52, was critically injured January 7, 2013, when he contacted a 13,000-volt power line while trimming a pine tree in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Emergency responders airlifted him to University Medical Center of El Paso.
Benavidez had been taking down an Afghan pine that had grown tall enough to be a potential hazard to the power lines. Suspended by his safety harness, Benavidez hung motionless for several minutes after being shocked. Eventually Benavidez could be seen moving. After officials cut power to the immediate area, a technical rescue team from the Las Cruces Fire Department worked to free Benavidez.
One firefighter climbed a ladder, took Benavidez’s chain saw and dropped it to the ground, then climbed into the tree’s only remaining branches. He and another firefighter then helped to lower Benavidez.
Benavidez, who has worked as an arborist for more than 30 years, was wearing climbing spurs to help climb the tree, according to a Las Cruces Sun-News report.
Tree worker killed by cut tree
A tree worker was killed January 8, 2013, in Greenwich, Connecticut, after being struck by a cut tree trunk.
Alvarro Lopez, 26, of Port Chester, Conn., was working with his family’s Greenwich landscaping business removing a large tree. Lopez had cut a large section of the trunk when it fell backward and hit him, knocking him unconscious.
Lopez was in cardiac arrest when emergency responders arrived. He was taken to Greenwich Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Lopez was wearing a harness and using boot spikes, according to a report in The Hartford Courant, suggesting he may have been in the tree when the accident occurred.
Trimmer dies after struck by chain saw
A man trimming trees at an apartment complex in Phoenix, Arizona, died January 11, 2013, after being struck by his chain saw while in a tree.
The man was in a tree with a running chain saw when part of the tree collapsed. He lost control of the chain saw, which then hit him. The victim was able to remove himself from the tree, and onto a rooftop with help from bystanders at the scene.
When fire officials arrived at the scene they provided advance life support on the rooftop, and transported him to a trauma center where he died.
The man, who neighbors believe was in his 20s, also lived at the complex with his father, according to the KNXV-TV, ABC15.com report.
Man dies after fall from tree
A man died in Wichita, Kansas, January 11, 2013, after falling 30 to 40 feet from a tree to the ground.
Two men were trimming a tree for a friend at the time. The 40-year-old victim had secured himself to a large trunk-size branch while cutting it. When the branch gave way, the man fell. Police say the man may have also gotten tangled in the rope he was using to secure himself during the fall.
The man was rushed to the hospital in very critical condition. He died a short time after arriving.
Police do not know if either of the men were experienced tree trimmers, according to the KWCH 12 Eyewitness News report.
Trimmer injured in fall from bucket
A tree trimmer suffered only minor injuries after he fell about 25 feet from an aerial lift in Warren, Michigan, January 15, 2013. Todd Weissman, 38, of Farmington Hills and working for a local tree care company trimming tree when the bucket of the lift tipped, dropping him to the ground. Weissman was not wearing a fall prevention harness.
Weissman briefly lost consciousness but was responsive when police and fire EMS crews arrived. He was transported by McLaren Macomb hospital in Mount Clemens after complaining of neck and head pain. He was treated for his injuries and released.
A foreman for the tree company told investigators he had warned Weissman to wear the harness while conducting the work, but the worker had failed to comply. Workers are required by the company to wear the safety harness while on the lift, according to The Macomb Daily report.
Climber electrocuted
A man working for a tree-trimming crew was killed after a limb he cut fell onto a power line in Little Rock, Arkansas, January 16, 2013.
Filiberto Martinez Pita, 27, was tethered to the top of a tree when the limb fell onto the power line. He was touching the branch and was immediately electrocuted by an 8,000-volt charge.
Pita worked for a local tree service that was hired to trim branches that were hanging over the roof of a home, according to reports in The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Stuttgart Daily Leader.
A member reported directly to TCIA that Pita was killed when he contacted a 7.2 kV primary distribution conductor. He was removing a storm-damaged elm that grew on either side of the conductor, and was equipped with a saddle, spikes and wire-core flip line.
Person hurt in fall from tree
A person who fell from a tree January 19, 2013, in Jupiter Farms, Florida, near Palm Beach, was taken by Trauma Hawk to St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach. The person was working in the tree when he or she fell, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Contributed by John J. Morra, of John’s Tree Service, Delray Beach, Florida.
Man hurt in struck-by
A man was seriously injured after part of a tree he was cutting down fell on him January 19, 2013, in Bedford, New Hampshire, sending him to the hospital, according to a New Hampshire Union Leader report. It was reported directly to TCIA staff that the man apparently sustained a pretty serious head injury.
Tree cutter injured in fall
A man hired to remove a pine tree from a residence in River Plantation, Texas, was airlifted to the Texas Medical Center in Houston January 21, 2013, after falling 15-20 feet to the ground. The man and a co-worker were in the process of removing the 50-foot tree from the front yard of the home. The man lost his balance and fell. The injured tree-cutter was conscious after he hit the ground, and suffered a broken jaw and collarbone, according to a report in the East Montgomery County Observer in Humble, Texas.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
A tree trimmer was rescued January 23, 2013, in Phoenix, Arizona, after getting trapped in the skirt of dead palm fronds. The worker escaped injury when about one-fourth of the skirt fell on top of him. The worker, who was wearing safety straps, was able to free himself and tear away most of the remaining dead fronds. A large portion of the fronds fell, causing firefighters below to quickly jump to safety.
When the man reached the ground safely, he told firefighters he wanted to go back up to finish the job, according to the CBS 5 report.
Man killed by cut tree
A Chester, West Virginia, man was killed January 25, 2013, while helping a relative clear trees for a path for a gas drilling pad in Independence Township, Pennsylvania.
Apparently a tree they were cutting split and part of that tree stuck the victim on the head. The incident occurred ¾ of a mile in the woods, according to a KDKA-TV report.
Contributed by Doug Bozich, owner of a tree service in Verona, Pennsylvania.
Tree falls on man, kills him
A man died January 26, 2013, in Town of Wallkill, New York, when a tree he was cutting fell on him. Gregston Seeley, 42, of Town of Wallkill, was cutting down a tree at his residence when the tree landed on him. He was transported by Wallkill Volunteer Ambulance to Orange Regional Medical Center where he died, according to a MidHudsonNews.com report.
Climber dies when tree fails
The owner of a Catonsville, Maryland, landscaping company fell to his death January 29, 2013, while cutting down a tree in Clarksville, Md.
Michael Joseph Dingle, 40, owner of Natural Way Design and Landscaping, was working in a tree with all of the rigging attached. He and his employee removed the top 15 to 20 feet of the tree. The trunk then uprooted, and Dingle fell about 50 feet while still attached to the tree.
Police found Dingle unconscious and not breathing, and EMS technicians were unable to resuscitate Dingle., according to a Columbia Patch report.
Tree worker hurt when bucket collapses
A tree service worker survived a fall January 30, 2013, in Williamsburg, Virginia, when the arm on his bucket truck collapsed, sending him crashing into a parked car and onto a driveway. The worker was lowering the bucket when the arm collapsed. He was taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center with non life-threatening injuries, according to a report in The Virginia Gazette.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring throughout 2012
December 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree worker injured in fall from roof
A worker for a tree care service in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, was injured December 5, 2012, when he fell off a garage roof in Wauwatosa while assisting with a removal of a tree that was hanging over the roof. He suffered several broken ribs and a punctured lung. Police notified OSHA and a citation is expected.
Reported to Peter Gerstenberger, senior advisor for safety, compliance & standards for TCIA.
Man hurt in fall trimming branches
A 60-year-old man was hurt December 14, 2012, when he fell 20 feet out of a tree while trimming branches in Litchfield, South Carolina. The man suffered head and upper body trauma that were considered to be life-threatening. An ambulance took him to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, according to a WPDE News Channel 15 report.
Man, 83, killed by cut tree
An 83-year-old Oldtown, Maryland, man was killed December 16, 2012, when he was struck by a tree he was helping take down. Kenneth David Richard Jr. was cutting down trees on private property with some associates when the accident occurred. First-responders reportedly administered CPR before the victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Cumberland Times-News report.
Climber killed when limb fails
A climber was killed December 24, 2012, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, when a limb of the tree he was felling broke, dropping him about 15 feet to the ground and then landing on top of him. Merle R. “Rick” Wilbur IV, 32, of Hampton, New Hampshire, was pronounced dead at Lawrence General Hospital after the accident.
Wilbur was working to remove a storm-damaged tree at a home when the large limb on which he was “tied off” gave way.
Wilbur, who operated his own Oaklands Tree Service in Newfields, New Hampshire, was working for a local landscape and tree service when the accident occurred, according to the Hampton-North Hampton (New Hampshire) Patch
Trimmer rescued from palm
A tree trimmer who became trapped in a palm December 27, 2012, when a frond skirt collapsed on him in Echo Park, California, was rescued by firefighters and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The unidentified man, wedged in a cluster of fronds high in the tree, remained conscious, but complained of pain, apparently from the pressure of the fronds on his chest. Fire crew rescuers using an aerial ladder got the man out of the tree. He complained of back pain, but had no obvious injuries, according to an echopark.patch.com and City News Service report.
Trimmer dies in fall
A tree trimmer died after falling 30 feet out of a tree December 29, 2012, in Maili, Hawaii. Venancio Domingcil, 48, was taken by paramedics from an empty lot where he’d been cutting the tree to the hospital in extremely critical condition, and where he later died, according to a Star-Advertiser report.
KHNL/KGMB reported that the accident occurred on a small farm, that the farm’s owner had hired the man, a friend with a tree-trimming business, to trim back a kiawe tree on the property, and that the farm owner found the man on the ground.
Sent in by Carol L. Kwan, president and Certified Arborist, Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Send your local accident reports to
editor@tcia.org.
November 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2013 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Landscape worker dies after 40-foot fall
A landscape company employee died November 4, 2012, after falling more than 40 feet while cutting a tree during a cleanup job after Superstorm Sandy in Middlebury, Connecticut. Michael Pranulis, 53, of Naugatuck was up in a pine when he became entangled as it fell. Pranulis suffered head trauma and multiple broken bones. He was pronounced dead at a hospital in Waterbury, according to The Republic.
Man injured by cut tree
A man was seriously injured after a tree he was cutting November 4, 2012, near Wanatah, Indiana, barberchaired, fracturing his face. Mark Reinhardt, 59, of Valparaiso, Ind., was to undergo surgery to repair the multiple broken bones in his face.
Reinhardt was cutting a small tree that had a larger tree resting on top of it. As he was cutting into the trunk, the trunk broke in half, with half of it snapping back and striking him in the nose. Reinhardt, the property owner and three others were in the woods cutting down trees for firewood, according to The Herald-Argus report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed November 6, 2012, in Milford, New Hampshire, when a tree fell on him in what police described as a tree cutting accident. The man was dead when emergency crews arrived at the scene, according to an amherst.patch.com report.
Landscaper killed by cut tree
A tree and landscape company owner died November 6, 2012, in East Brunswick, New Jersey, when a portion of tree he was attempting to saw through broke loose and struck him. Amadeo Guiterrez, 41, of North Brunswick, N.J., a part owner of a landscaping and tree service, was in the backyard of a home working on a tree that had been partially knocked over during Hurricane Sandy. The tree broke loose, causing a fatal injury.
Emergency responders and paramedics attempted to revive Guiterrez, but were unsuccessful, according to The Star-Ledger.
Man killed by cut tree
A man trimming trees November 6, 2012, in Hauppauge, New York, was killed when the tree he was cutting fell on him. Nicholas Lourikas, 66, of Centereach, N.Y., was cutting storm-damaged trees with another person behind a diner when Lourikas was struck in the head by a tree. He was transported by the Smithtown Fire Department to St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center in Smithtown where he was pronounced dead, according to a www.smithtownradio.com report.
Worker hurt when tree falls from crane
A tree worker was crushed and injured November 8, 2012, by a tree he was helping move at a residence near Sonoma, California. Jarrad Plasket, 33, of Sonoma, an arborist with a local tree service, moved under the tree as it was being lowered to the ground by a crane at a residence in unincorporated Sonoma County. The tree snapped in half and fell on top of him, causing major injuries.
Plasket was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa and transferred to the John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek where he was listed in critical condition. The tree company and a crane service had been hired by the homeowner to cut the tree in the backyard and put it in the front yard for removal, according to the San Jose Mercury News report.
Homeowner dies in fall from ladder
A homeowner fell to his death from a ladder while trimming tree limbs at his home November 9, 2012, in White, Cherokee County, Georgia. Barron Clarence Smith, 52, died from blunt force trauma due to falling from a 20-foot ladder.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to the home after Smith’s wife had discovered her husband deceased in their yard. Investigators did not suspect foul play and were trying to piece together exactly what caused Smith to fall off the ladder, according to The Cherokee Ledger-News report.
Climber dies when tree fails
A Kansas tree contractor died November 9, 2012, when the tree he was in failed while he was cutting it down at Stephen F. Austin University Azalea Garden in Nacogdoches, Texas.
John Frederick Goode, 39, of Louisburg, Kansas, was one of at least three workers removing trees that had died over the past year. Goode was secured about 65 feet up in the tree and had cut about 35 feet of the tree above him. The part of the tree he was tied to broke into about seven different pieces. Goode died at the scene.
Another worker said the tree was in bad shape, but it was tough to know how bad by looking at the bark, according to a KTRE-TV report. “He was professional,” the co-worker said of Goode. “One of the few to wear a climbing helmet, gloves and eye protection. That was just John. He was very meticulous about safety. He went up the tree and just didn’t catch it.”
Submitted by Rusty Denes, president of TCIA member Denes & Company of Kansas City, Missouri. Goode was a friend of Denes and a former TCIA member.
Man critical after fall from ladder
A man was in critical condition after falling off a ladder while trimming trees November 10, 2012, in Stonington, Connecticut. Faheem Abdul-Jabar, 50, of New London, Conn., a contractor, was working at home when he fell about 15 feet. He was unconscious when taken to Rhode Island Hospital, according to www.theday.com report.
Tree worker killed by cut tree
A York, South Carolina, man who traveled to New York to clear trees in the wake of Superstorm Sandy died November 12, 2012, after a tree fell on him on Long Island, N.Y. David Freberg, 36, who co-owned a tree service with his cousin, died in Suffolk County when a tree he was working on fell on him, according to The Herald of Rock Hill, S.C. The tree somehow bounced back and hit him, killing him instantly, according to a WBTV report.
Tree worker crushed by dump bed
A tree service worker was killed November 13, 2012, in Parma Township, Michigan, when a dump truck bed fell on him while he was delivering wood to a residence. Jeff Teague, 36, of Parma Township, was unloading wood when the bed of his older model Ford F600 became stuck in the upright position. Teague went underneath to fix the problem when the box dropped, crushing him between the bed and the frame. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Teague owned and operated a tree removal service he started in 2009, according to The Jackson Citizen Patriot report.
Submitted by Cameron Smith, vice president of TCIA-member Johnny’s Tree Service Inc. in Jackson, Mich.
Trimmer electrocuted
A tree trimmer died November 16, 2012, while trimming trees outside a home in Hollywood, Florida, when he got too close to a power line and was electrocuted. His body remained in the tree until rescue crews could bring him down. A second worker suffered minor injuries, according to a CBS4 report.
Man Killed By Falling Tree
A man was killed November 17, 2012, after being struck by a tree he’d cut in Bath County, Kentucky. William Ray Evans, of Bath County, was cutting wood at his parents’ property in the Owingsville area. When he didn’t return to the house, his father went looking for him and found him under a fallen tree. The coroner ruled Evans’ death an accident, according to a www.lex18.com report.
Man dies after fall from ladder
A 54-year-old man died after falling about 18 to 20 feet from a ladder while trimming trees November 19, 2012, in southwestern Michigan. The Mattawan, Mich., man fell while trimming branches at a greenhouse in Kalamazoo County’s Texas Township, located near Kalamazoo. Investigators say he lost his balance and fell onto a pile of previously cut wood. He died at the scene, according to a Detroit Free Press report.
Man crushed by root ball of cut tree
A Brick township, New Jersey, man died on Thanksgiving, November 22, 2012, after a tree ball from a tree that had been uprooted by Superstorm Sandy fell on him.
Vernon Hankins, 61, had cut up the fallen tree and was left with a large hole next to the uprooted stump. Apparently Hankins went into the hole and started cutting the tree’s exposed roots when the tree’s weight shifted and the stump righted itself, falling on top of Hankins, who became trapped with only his head and shoulders visible.
Police found numerous neighbors using shovels in an attempt to free Hankins. Firefighters used their equipment to pull the tree off of Hankins.
Police and medics immediately began life-saving efforts and Hankins was transported to Ocean Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries, according to an Asbury Park Press report.
October 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Bucket operator electrocuted
A bucket operator was electrocuted October 8, 2012, in Miami, Florida. The victim was found slumped in the aerial lift bucket, which was up in the air.
The tree service employee was trimming branches from a tree when he apparently made contact with the power line. The victim was transported without a pulse and not breathing to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Residents in the area lost power during the rescue attempt, according to the WSVN-TV Channel 7 News report.
Climber dies of natural causes up in tree
A tree trimmer died October 8, 2012, while working in a Collierville, Tennessee, backyard. The tree trimmer was safely harnessed in the tree he was trimming when he passed out. Firefighters had to bring him down. When they got him to the ground, he was dead. It appears the tree trimmer died of natural causes, according to a WMC-TV Channel 5 report.
Trimmer killed by cut tree
A 42-year-old man died during an apparent tree-trimming accident in Indian Hill, Ohio, near Cincinnati, October 9, 2012.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, was part of a two-man crew that a homeowner hired to cut down a tree. The man was killed when the tree fell on him, according to an Enquirer report.
Climber injured, rescued after pinned 75 feet up
A climber was pinned 75 feet off the ground by a piece of the tree he was cutting October 16, 2012, in Brighton, Michigan.
The man was apparently working alone, secured to the main leader by only a lanyard, when the piece he was cutting splintered, or barber-chaired. Rescue crews eventually cut away the limb and freed the man’s right arm and leg.
The climber suffered a broken leg, a broken arm and cuts to his face but was otherwise OK. He was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, according to the WDIV report.
Man killed by cut tree
A 32-year-old Madison, Minnesota, man died as a result of injuries sustained October 21, 2012, when a tree he was cutting fell on him at a rural Madison location.
Robert Tonn was one of three men cutting down trees in Hamlin Township when a tree apparently twisted and fell the wrong way, striking Tonn.
Tonn was taken by ambulance to Madison Hospital and later air lifted to Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he died, according to a Morris Sun Tribune report.
Man killed by cut tree
A man was killed October 22, 2012, in Ringgold, Georgia, after a tree he was working on fell on him. Emergency crews found James Henry Blevins, 74, pinned under a tree. Blevins succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Blevins had been cutting trees on his property when the incident happened, according to the WRCB TV Channel 3 report.
Road crew worker injured by cut tree
A township road crew member cutting a tree stuck on power lines October 30, 2012, in Lower Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, was injured after the tree struck him. The identity of the worker was not immediately available, though sources confirmed the man was conscious at the scene, according to a report in The Mercury.
Contractor killed clearing storm-damaged tree
A contractor working at a home to remove trees after superstorm Sandy in Annapolis, Maryland, was killed October 31, 2012, when a tree fell on him.
Tree removal workers were taking away trees in the area when a tree in the back of the home fell on a worker. Officials say the man, who was in his late 40s or early 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WTOP report.
Town worker injured cutting tree
A Milton, West Virginia, man was injured October 31, 2012, while working to cut a tree that blocked access to the town’s water tank. The worker was identified as David Black.
The victim and a co-worker were checking the tank’s water level, as electricity is needed to shut off the pump when the tank is full, and it had been without electricity due to downed utility lines in the area. After they noticed a tree laying on a utility line, they cut the tree. Once they cut the tree, a 12-foot portion of it slid on the utility line and hit Black.
Black was conscious and talking at the scene, and appeared to have minor injuries. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment, according to The Herald-Dispatch.
September 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber injured when tree fails
A 44-year-old man suffered multiple injuries, including a severe leg injury, in a 40-foot fall after the tree he was trying to trim failed September 2, 2012, in Kelso, Oregon. The man landed on his back and a portion of the tree, about 2 feet in diameter, fell on him, pinning him to the ground.
Firefighters who responded and rushed the man to the hospital said the tree had significant decay halfway up and couldn’t hold the man’s weight, causing it to fail and the man to fall, according to a KPTV FOX 12 in Portland.
Climber rescued from power lines
Two tree workers avoided injury September 2, 2012, in Williamson, West Virginia, after one threw a cable across power lines adjacent to the tree they were working in. Upon arrival at the scene, firefighters discovered a climber approximately 30 feet up in a large tree, with a 7,200 volt electrical line in very close proximity.
The two men were removing the top portion of the tree when the worker on the ground tossed a wire cable into the air but which landed across the power lines, causing them to arc. The event caused a momentary disruption in electrical service for a large portion of Williamson, and the cable ended up within inches of the tree cutter, who was still in the top of the tree, as it lay across the power lines.
Several firefighters secured the scene and one climbed the tree to assess the condition of the stranded victim. Fortunately he was only shaken and traumatized by the event, telling the firefighter he was fine, but that he was not moving until the power line was de-energized. Appalachian Electric Power employees quickly arrived on site and shut down power, at which point the man climbed down without any assistance or injury, according to The Williamson Daily News.
Man killed in struck-by
Matthew J. Stevens, 22, of Vernon Center, New York, died September 7, 2012, after he was trapped underneath a tree while logging in Nelson, N.Y.
Stevens was about an eighth of a mile into a woods where he and three others had permission to log. Stevens was attempting to pull down a tree estimated more than 80-feet tall using a chain attached to a tractor. The tree Stevens was pulling down struck another tree, which redirected the path of the falling tree onto the tractor Stevens was driving. Stevens was taken by ambulance to Community Memorial Hospital, Hamilton, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Syracuse Post Standard report.
Contributed by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist, National Grid - Central Division, Syracuse, N.Y., ISA Certified Arborist and Utility Specialist.
Firefighters injured by falling tree
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries when a tree fell on them September 18, 2012, in Chester, Pennsylvania. Firefighters responded to the report of a tree that fell on a house. After they were on the scene, the tree fell further, knocking down some wires and hurting the firefighters. Both were taken to Crozer-Chester Medical Center. One was treated and released, and the other was kept overnight for observation, according to a Daily News/Philadelphia Inquirer report on www.philly.com.
Man killed cutting down tree
Kenneth Hope, 53, of Saranac, Michigan, died September 18, 2012, after a tree limb he was cutting fell on him at an Ada Township, Mich., residence. Hope was pinned under the tree for an unknown amount of time. Efforts by emergency personnel to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The woman homeowner reported that the tree sustained damage in a recent storm and she had given Hope permission to cut it down for firewood, according to the WOOD-TV Channel 8 report.
Tree worker killed grinding stump
A 39-year-old tree service employee was killed September 20, 2012, while he was grinding a stump in the village of Chaumont, New York, on Lake Ontario’s northeastern shore 70 miles north of Syracuse. Ronald Watson of Gouverneur, N.Y., was working alone when he became pinned between the grinder’s protective shield and an adjacent building. A deputy sheriff was one of several people who freed Watson, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Downey trainees perform aerial rescue
Approximately two years ago, Downey Trees Inc., an accredited, 20-year TCIA-member company located in Cumming, Georgia, trained the Technical Rescue Team from Gwinnett County Fire Department in Atlanta, Georgia, in how to perform an aerial rescue. And on September 20, 2012, that same Fire Department team actually performed a successful tree rescue.
On that date, a climber reportedly was hit by a branch and injured while working on a tree 50 feet off the ground at a property in Lawrenceville, Ga. When fire crews arrived on the scene, they noticed the worker appeared to be somewhat disoriented. He was clinging to the tree and secured by his climbing gear.
The location of the tree, in an unpaved area in the back of the property, made it impossible for the ladder truck to reach the man. The Technical Rescue Team determined their best option was to have a rescue worker climb up the tree to help the man down. It took firefighters nearly two hours to get the man down, but he was conscious and alert when he was rushed to the hospital. The extent of his injuries were unknown, according to the lawrenceville-ga.patch.com report.
Contributed by Rusty Lee, CTSP, general manager, Downey Trees, Inc., Cumming, Georgia.
Worker killed by cut tree limb
A man working for an unlicensed company was killed September 22, 2012, by a 25-foot branch that fell from a tree he was trimming in Airmont, New York. Celso Tebalan-Pixcar, 32, was pronounced dead at the scene. The tree was in the front yard of a home in a wooded, residential area.
New York is among 25 states that have adopted standards and enforcement policies to oversee the tree care industry, but the state doesn’t require certification or a license for tree trimmers, according to The Journal News report.
Trimmer dies after palm fronds collapse
A tree trimmer apparently suffocated under a mass of palm fronds that sloughed off and pinned him to the trunk while trimming the palm September 22, 2012, in Hollywood, California. Gerson Hernandez, 27, of Van Nuys, Calif., died about 30 feet up in the palm, according to the hollywood.patch.com report.
Trimmer shocked by power line
A tree trimmer was shocked by a power line September 25, 2012, in Wichita, Kansas. The worker was in a lift trimming a tree when a branch touched the power line and shocked the man, burning him. Some fellow tree trimmers worked furiously to get him to safety and diverted him down away from the danger. He was taken to a hospital with electric burns but was expected to recover, according to a KSN Channel 3 report.
Falling branch kills passerby
A truck driver who was walking through an area where tree trimmers were working in Riverside, California, on September 28, 2012, was struck by a falling tree branch and died later at a Riverside hospital.
The victim apparently drove a big rig up to the scene of the work, got out of the cab and walked over to the work supervisor. After a conversation, the man turned and was walking back to his truck when the large tree limb fell, hitting him. The branch was about 14 inches in diameter and fell from 25 feet up, striking the man and inflicting major head and leg trauma.
City fire paramedics responded, freed the man from the tree debris and took him to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died. It was unclear if the truck driver had any connection to the tree trimming company, according to The Press Enterprise report.
Trimmer hospitalized after fall
A professional tree trimmer was being treated for serious injuries after a 50-foot fall from a tree September 28, 2012, in Douglas County, Nevada.
Emergency crews were called to Zephyr Cove, where the man slipped while high up in the tree. He was flown to Renown Regional Medical Center by a CalStar helicopter, according to the KOLO-TV report.
August 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree worker electrocuted
A contract tree worker died from injuries he sustained from being electrocuted Aug 1, 2012, while working on a college campus in Marshall, Texas.
Michael Noel, 41, an employee of a local tree service, was cutting a tree that had been struck by lightning and was in the process of being removed from the East Texas Baptist University campus. He was in a scissor lift with a bucket, cutting the tree with an extension saw, when he hit the electrical lines, according to a KLTV report.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A cut tree limb struck and killed a tree worker August 6, 2012, in Monroe, Kentucky, near Henryville. A two-person crew was removing trees damaged in a March tornado when the accident occurred.
The worker was felling a tree and had notched it. As he proceeded to cut it, a limb came from the top of the tree and hit him in the upper body and knocked him down. To make matters worse, the wind then twisted the tree off the stump and it then landed on the victim, pinning him, according to a witness quoted in a WAVE Channel 3 report.
Emergency crews were challenged by the rural location and rugged terrain of the area where the accident took place. His employer described the victim as a family man who had been working with trees all his life.
Tree service owner dies in struck-by
A tree service company owner was killed August 13, 2012, while working in a tree in White County, Georgia. Allan Keith Dodgins, 41, of Habersham County, Ga., died of blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen.
Dodgins was about 40 feet up in the tree while clearing trees along a roadway in the Skylake community when the tree top rolled and struck him, knocking him inverted.
Another tree climber was in the area and was called to help in the rescue, which included a fire department ladder truck. As rescuers were getting Dodgins down, he reportedly went into cardiac arrest and was transported by ground ambulance to Habersham Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to an accessnorthga.com report.
Homeowner critical in struck-by
A 44-year-old homeowner was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition August 18, 2012, after a limb fell on him while he was cutting trees in Columbia Township, Michigan.
The man had been cutting several trees in his back yard, and had just cut a large tree and was watching it fall when it tore a limb off a nearby tree. The limb fell about 25 to 30 feet, striking him in the head. The man’s wife called 911. Emergency medical responders found the man unconscious and bleeding severely from the head.
He was airlifted to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Mich., where he was in critical condition, according to a report in The Kalamazoo Gazette.
Elderly man dies after fall from ladder
A 78-year-old man died on August 20, 2012, when he fell off a ladder while cutting a tree limb at his family’s home in Mount Olive Township, New Jersey. A family member called police and said the Clifton Park, New York, man had fallen 20 to 30 feet. Police found the victim semi-conscious and partially paralyzed from the fall. An aero-medical helicopter was dispatched and transported the man to Morristown Medical Center where he died, according to the Mount Olive Chronicle report.
Tree trimmer shocked by power line
A veteran tree trimmer was hospitalized after being shocked Aug 21, 2012, while trying to cut down a tree in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The West Palm Beach-based work crew had spent most of the day trying to take down a 40-foot kapok tree with the help of a crane. The victim was shocked when he grabbed a chain that made contact with a power line, according to a Sun Sentinel report.
Man hospitalized after fall from tree
A 28-year-old Arlington, Washington, man was flown via helicopter to a Seattle hospital August 23, 2012, after falling from a tree. The man was cutting the top out of the tree when he fell about 25 feet, suffering a possible head injury, according to The Daily Herald.
Tree worker dies in fall
A man died August 27, 2012, after he fell from a tree during a work-related accident in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Kenneth Vinson, 49, of Fort Mill, S.C., and who had been working with a tree service company when he fell, was pronounced dead at Piedmont Medical Center after the fall, according to a report in The Herald.
Homeowner injured by cut tree
A homeowner was airlifted to a Vermont hospital following a tree-cutting accident August 31, 2012, in Lake Placid, New York. Don Mellor, a well-known rock climber and the author of the “Climbing in the Adirondacks” guidebook as well as “American Rock,” was listed in good condition the next day.
Mellor was injured while cutting down a tree at his home. Firefighters said part of a cut tree struck Mellor and knocked him to the ground. Emergency personnel had to remove sections of the tree before Mellor could be extricated. An ambulance then transported him to a nearby field where a North Country Life Flight helicopter was waiting, according to a Lake Placid News report.
July 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Contractor killed in fall while removing limb from tree
A contractor removing limbs from a storm-damaged tree July 2, 2012, in Garrett County, Maryland, fell 30 to 40 feet and died, according to The Washington Post.
Bystander struck by cut tree
A 72-year-old Simsbury, Connecticut, man was flown to the hospital after part of a tree being removed by tree workers hit him on the head July 3, 2012.
George Craig Roselli was out for a walk and was in his driveway when he was struck in the head and shoulder. Workers from a tree service who were cutting down trees and limbs along a driveway in the development cut a part of the tree that fell and hit Roselli. Roselli was conscious, alert and talking, when taken from the scene, but was later reported to be in critical condition, according to NBC Connecticut.
Crane operator hurt in collapse
A crane operator suffered a broken leg after a crane working on an oak removal with a tree crew tipped over in Bethesda, Maryland, July 7, 2012.
Contributed by Rich Godwin, CTSP, operations manager for Mead Tree & Turf Care, Inc. in Lisbon, Maryland.
Worker hospitalized after fall from tree
A tree service worker was taken to the hospital after falling several feet from a tree in Springfield, Massachusetts, July 9, 2012. The worker’s injuries were believed to be minor, though no other details were immediately available, according to a WWLP-22 News report.
Man shocked trimming tree
A 44-year-old man was listed in critical condition July 9, 2012, after sustaining serious burns to his body when his hand touched a high-voltage power line as he attempted to trim a tree in Glen Head, New York, on Long Island. Firefighters removed the worker from the tree, who was then airlifted to the hospital, according to a report on glencove.patch.com.
Shock victim suffers amputation
A Torrington, Wyoming, man who suffered severe burns after a tree-trimming accident July 16, 2012, lost part of his arm but is recovering. Zacharia Chavez was working out of an aerial lift bucket when he and/or the bucket made contact with electrical wires, according to The Torrington Telegram report.
Tree worker found dead in tree
Emergency workers found a tree worker unconscious about 100 feet in a tree in Willow Spring, North Carolina, July 16, 2012. Johnny B. Blackman, 44, was brought down from the tree and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s office received a call in late morning about a man stuck in a tree who appeared to be passed out. It was unclear if Blackman, who was working for a family who wanted the tree cut down, was self-employed or working for a tree care company, according to The News & Observer report.
It was unclear how long Blackman had been in the tree or how he died, but authorities said it appears his death was accidental, according to a www.wral.com report.
According to his obituary, Blackman served on the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for nearly 20 years and was employed with the North Carolina Department of Correction for two years.
Tree worker hurt in struck-by
A tree service worker was seriously injured July 18, 2012, in Raleigh County, West Virginia, when part of a tree fell on him while he was trying to remove a fallen tree from a power line.
Emergency responders found the tree service worker unconscious upon arrival at the scene. Part of a tree, approximately 40 inches in diameter, fell on the victim.
The extent of the victim’s injuries were unknown at the time, but he was responsive when transported to the hospital, according to The Register-Herald report.
Tree worker stung by bee swarm
A 52-year-old tree worker was stung possibly hundreds of times and found unconscious after a bee attack July 18, 2012, in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The man was one of four workers with a tree removal company attacked by the swarm while they were cutting down an old cottonwood. The man was covered in bees and lying unconscious on a driveway when firefighters arrived. Firefighters used foam and water to scatter the bees. The man was taken to a medical center where he was in serious but stable condition.
Two other workers were also stung. One man was treated at the scene and the other was treated at a hospital and then released. Authorities were working to find out how to deal with the bee colony living in the tree, according to the El Paso Times.
Tree worker hurt in 60-foot fall
A man was injured July 19, 2012, after falling about 60 feet while trimming a tree in Lexington, Kentucky. Ray Neal, who was working for a tree service company, was wearing a harness, but something apparently went wrong and he fell. Neal was unconscious for a time, but had regained consciousness by the time emergency officials took him to the hospital, according to co-workers. He was listed in serious condition at the hospital, according to a www.lex18.com report.
Three injured when cut tree hits home
Three people were recovering after a large tree fell on a Jacksonville, Florida, home July 20, 2012, causing the roof to collapse. Workers were cutting down a tree on a neighboring property when it crashed into the home. Three persons in the home, including at least one child, were hospitalized after they were hit with falling debris. Their condition was not known.
A witness reported that one of the tree workers got into his truck and fled after the tree hit the house, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Tree worker hurt in 20-foot fall
A tree service employee fell more than 20 feet in Annapolis, Maryland, July 20, 2012, suffering serious injuries. Emergency responders found the man awake, but with multiple, serious injuries. It was not known how the 47-year-old fell out of the tree he was working on, according to an annapolis.patch.com report.
Landscaper killed in skid-steer mishap
A landscape company worker died July 23, 2012, in Indianapolis, Indiana, after the arms of a skid loader were lowered on him, pinning him between the arms and the frame of the machine.
Ronald Davenport, 53, of Indianapolis, had been standing on the side of the skid loader when the operator lowered the arms without knowing that Davenport was in the way. Davenport later died at a hospital.
Davenport and the skid-steer operator worked for a landscape company and were at the job site to remove a fallen tree, according to the WRTV Channel 6 report.
Sent in by Nathan Birky, Premiere Trees, Fishers, Indiana.
Company owner killed when boom fails
An Auburn, Indiana, tree service owner was killed July 25, 2012, in Holiday Lakes, Indiana, after falling from the bucket of an aerial lift. Paul Graber, 56, died instantly of major internal injuries from the fall.
Graber and co-workers had used a logging chain to connect the bucket of the lift to a tree that had fallen into a lake in an attempt to raise the tree. The weight of the tree apparently led to something breaking in the machinery and the bucket fell, according to a WANE TV, Channel 15 report.
Man hurt in 35-foot fall
A man doing yard work was injured July 25, 2012, after he fell 35 feet from a tree in Shelton, Connecticut. The man was in the tree, cutting a limb off. The limb swung down and knocked into the ladder the man was on, causing him to fall about 35 feet.
The man was taken to the hospital, but the extent of his injuries was not immediately known, according to a Connecticut Post report.
Trimmer electrocuted when pole saw hits power line
A 28-year-old tree trimmer was electrocuted while trimming trees July 25, 2012, in St. Joseph, Missouri. The victim was employed by a private tree company and had apparently been cutting trees over a property from an aerial lift basket when the pole saw he was working with made contact with the high-voltage power line.
Fellow workers started a backup (power source), were able to get the basket lowered, get him out of it and attempted to revive the unconscious worker, according to a police officer quoted in a St. Joseph News-Press report. Emergency responders rushed the unresponsive man to the hospital, but he died.
One killed, one hurt after lift tips
One tree worker died and another was in the hospital after the bucket lift they were working from tipped over in Tignall, Wilkes County, Georgia, on July 26, 2012.
The two men were working to cut a tree when the bucket truck tilted and flipped over. When its boom hit the ground, it buckled and the two men were tossed across the road.
Mike Tanner, owner of Tanner’s Tree Service, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other man, Ben Combs, was taken to the hospital and was reported to be in fair condition the next day, according to the WRDW-TV News 12 report.
Trimmer dies in palm, electrocution suspected
A 31-year-old tree trimmer died after apparently being electrocuted and falling from a palm July 28, 2012, in Arcadia, California. Responding firefighters found the palm on fire with the trimmer, who appeared to have been electrocuted, harnessed approximately 20 feet up in the palm. Within moments of arrival, the fire burned through the harness and the tree trimmer fell to the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Pasadena Star-News report.
Lawn care worker electrocuted on ladder
A 23-year-old Providence, Rhode Island, man died July 30, 2012, after he was electrocuted while trimming branches near electrical wires in Johnston, Rhode Island. Leonardo Estrada was on an aluminum ladder using an aluminum extension trimmer to cut maple-tree branches growing near electrical wires when the trimmer touched the wires.
The bolt of electricity threw Estrada from the ladder. His boss called 911 and tried to give him CPR while rescue came. Estrada was taken to Rhode Island Hospital, where he was declared dead. National Grid told police the electrical wire carries 12,500 volts of electricity, according to a report in The Providence Journal.
Called in by David Schwartz, president, Schwartz Tree Care, Inc., Cranston, R.I.
Tree worker killed by cut limb
A tree company worker was killed July 31, 2012, in Berks County, Pennsylvania, when a cut limb he was lowering swung free and struck him. Martin David Reusing, 49, who was working on an 80-foot tree at a private residence, was killed instantly when the 15-foot-long limb struck him in the neck.
Reusing was on the ground using ropes to make sure the cut limbs were brought to ground in a controlled manner. But this particular limb may have had too much slack, causing it to swing, striking Reusing, according to police reports quoted by The Mercury (www.pottsmerc.com).
Reusing was an employee of a Reading, Pa., tree service company, and the owner of the tree service was in the tree at the time of the accident. A second employee was on the ground.
Neither were injured by the falling limb, according to an NBC10 Philadelphia report.
June 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Firefighter dies in tree-cutting accident
An off-duty Jacksonville, Florida, firefighter died June 2, 2012, after falling from and with a dead tree he was cutting.
Jason Bishop, 39, was 30 to 40 feet above ground cutting a branch that had forked at the top of an oak tree when the branch, which was tied by a rope, fell like a pendulum and struck the trunk of the dead tree. Bishop was harnessed to a part of the tree that then split and fell.
Bishop was pronounced dead a short time later at Shands Jacksonville hospital.
Fellow firefighters said Bishop did not have a private tree-cutting business, but did a lot of handyman work and was doing the job for an acquaintance of another firefighter. Bishop is survived by his wife, two daughters and an infant son. The former Marine joined the fire department 10 years ago, according to The Florida Times-Union.
Tree worker killed by cut tree
One tree worker was killed and a second one injured in Los Gatos, California, June 4, 2012, when a trunk fell on them while on a private job at a residence. The injured worker, identified as a 23-year-old San Jose resident, received moderate injuries and was transported to Valley Medical Center.
A few hours after the accident authorities were still attempting to recover the other victim’s body with help from the Los Gatos Parks and Public Works personnel. The mishap occurred on a steep hillside, according to the losgatos.patch.com report.
Tree worker hurt in fall from bucket
A bucket truck operator was injured June 6, 2012, after he fell 30 to 40 feet from the bucket in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. Bryan Brintnall, 19, of Burlington, Wisc., who works for his father’s tree care company, was transported to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa for critical head injuries. He was in critical but stable condition shortly after the accident, according to the whitefishbay.patch.com. A Patch update almost three weeks later reported that he had improved to satisfactory condition.
The company had been contracted to remove 200 ash trees. Brintnall apparently cut down a limb that swung around and landed in the bucket. He tried to push the limb off of the bucket, but then fell forward out of the bucket and landed on his back. His helmet flew off and he hit his head on the roadway. Investigators believe his safety harness was not secured to the boom, according to a Patch report.
Trimmer dies under palm fronds
A tree trimmer died June 9, 2012, after becoming trapped while trimming a palm in Glendora, California. Roberto Garcia, 35, of Glendora, was trimming a 50-foot palm when a large section of dead palm fronds collapsed on top of him and his attached climbing equipment, trapping him. He apparently died while firefighters were trying to reach him.
Garcia’s co-workers had called firefighters, stating that he was asking for help and was having trouble breathing. The palm was away from the street, so the ladder was not able to easily access the tree. Firefighters could not see Garcia upon arrival and had to use thermal imaging devices to locate a heat source. About 20 feet of the 50-foot tree was dry, dead palm fronds, according to the Glendora Patch.
Worker dies after fall from tree
A tree worker died June 9, 2012, after falling from a tree he was cutting in Bel Air, Maryland. Tommy Gray Kyger, 31, of Elkton, an employee of a local tree and lawn service, had been trimming trees when he fell about 45 feet to the ground. He was airlifted to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he died of his injuries, according to the belair.patch.com.
Trimmer dies in fall from palm
A tree trimmer died June 11, 2012, after falling 40 to 60 feet while trimming a palm at night at a Waikiki, Hawaii, resort. Reid Barcelona, 26, of Honolulu was trimming a coconut palm when he fell. He landed on the pool deck at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser and the Ventura County Star. It is not uncommon for tree work to be done at night at the Hawaiian resorts, when fewer people are walking around.
Contributed by Carol Kwan, Certified Arborist and president of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Tree worker electrocuted on ground
A tree service employee was electrocuted June 13, 2012, in Newbury, New Hampshire. The man was unconscious and not breathing when emergency responders arrived. They were able to resuscitate him. Though initially successful, attempts to save the man failed and he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The man, who was in his 40s or 50s, worked for a tree service company that was working with Department of Transportation taking down about a dozen large pine trees. The victim was standing on the ground near a wood chipper when a nearby crane touched a live wire, which put electricity into the ground. It traveled through the ground and into the victim, according to an investigator at the scene as reported by the New Hampshire Union Leader.
The other workers on the ground were not injured. The man working inside the crane was also uninjured.
Based on the time of day and the position of the crane, which was west of the wires, the vision of the crane operator could have been impaired by the sun at the time of the accident, the report said.
Trimmer dies in fall
A tree trimmer died in a 40-foot fall June 13, 2012, in Colt, Arkansas. Lloyd Boyd Sr., age 57, of Forrest City, was cutting tree limbs on a county road near Colt when the boom truck in which he was riding broke. Boyd was in the bucket of the boom truck, which was extended so he could reach the tree limbs. At some point, the arm of the boom broke and Boyd fell to the ground, according to the Forrest City Times-Herald and the Helena Daily World.
Woman injured in fall from ladder
A woman was critically injured June 19, 2012, while cutting a tree with a chain saw in Monroe, Washington. The woman, who was reported to be in her 40s, was cutting the tree when a piece of it came loose and knocked her off a ladder. She fell about 15 feet. She was taken to a local hospital, according to The Daily Herald.
Trimmer suffers fractured leg
An employee of a tree service company working at Princeton University’s Forrestal, New Jersey, campus suffered a fractured leg June 20, 2012. The injury occurred when a rope tied to a tree limb pulled the worker as the tree limb started to fall. The worker tried to brace himself using the tree and fractured his left leg, according to a report in The Times, of Trenton.
Man injured by falling tree
A 74-year-old Cleveland, Georgia, man was airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center for injuries he sustained June 21, 2012, when a portion of a large pine tree rolled over him.
The man was watching someone cutting a tree near his home when the tree fell onto a house and then rolled onto him, according to accessnorthga.com.
Log loader operator electrocuted
Ronald Hickey, 53, owner of Hickey Tree Service, a three-year TCIA-member company located in West Gardiner, Maine, died June 22, 2012, when he came in contact with a live utility wire while operating a log loader near power lines. Hickey appeared to be killed instantly, according to neighbors and workers who witnessed the accident.
Hickey was helping clear power lines with other contractors, taking away the larger logs, according to The Press Herald.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A man in his 60s died June 22, 2012, doing tree work for a friend’s tree service in Detroit, Michigan. The man was cutting a tree, but was apparently not doing the work properly. The tree service owner yelled for the victim to stop, but he didn’t and seconds later a branch weighing about 1,500 pounds came crashing down on the man. The victim had done tree work for about 20 years, according to the WXYZ-TV Channel 7 report.
Man hurt when branch kicks back
A man was in stable condition at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio, after he was injured by a tree branch while cutting a tree June 23, 2012, in Newark, Ohio. Danny Faller, 49, was cutting a tree when a branch kicked back and hit him in the head, according to the Newark Advocate.
Three hurt by chipped rope
Three tree workers were injured June 23, 2012, in Brentwood, California, apparently after a rope they were using was caught in a large wood chipper the group was using. The rope apparently pulled the men into contact with the machine, causing blunt force trauma only.
It’s unclear whether or not the men, all in their 30s, were city employees or hired by residents of the area. They were taken to hospitals in fair condition with non-life threatening injuries, according to a Brentwood Patch report.
Trimmer hurt in fall from bucket
A tree trimmer was hurt after falling from an aerial lift bucket June 26, 2012, in Bangor Township, Michigan.
The 22-year-old man, who was working for a local tree service, was in a bucket trimming branches when he encountered a bee nest. He was pulling on a rope to cut a limb when the rope broke, causing him to fall out of or be thrown from the bucket. He fell 10 to 15 feet into the back of the truck.
The victim was rushed to Bay Medical Center, but his injuries did not appear to be life threatening. The man was able to talk at the scene before the ambulance took him to the hospital, according to a WEYI-TV report.
Trimmer dies in chipper
A tree trimmer died June 26, 2012, in Shelby Township, Michigan, after he was pulled into a wood chipper. The victim was identified as Shawn Needham, 45, a trimmer with more than 26 years of experience and owner of Fella’s Tree Service, according to a report in The Detroit News.
Lynn Pace, Needham’s girlfriend and co-worker, was on the job site with him when the incident occurred. “I was looking out for him and he seemed fine,” said Pace. “I went to sweep some more. I heard the chipper make a funny noise.
“When I got close to the chipper, another gentleman told me there was a man in the chipper. That was my Shawn. I ran over and shut it off.
“I was too late. There was nothing anybody could do.”
State investigators were talking to witnesses and examining the wood chipper.
Pace said Needham was always careful while on the job, but was carrying a heavy work load.
“We were trying to finish before dark. He was rushing to get paid and go on to the next job,” she told The Detroit News.
May 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree worker killed in fall
Randy Roger Lane, 43, of Siloam, North Carolina, and co-owner of a local tree service, reportedly was killed in a fall while working in a tree using a bucket truck May 4, 2012, in Yadkin County, N.C. Lane co-owned the tree service with his brother, Charles Walter Lane, according to the Mount Airy News.
Climber dies when tree splinters
Anthony K. Woods, 52, of Belfair, Washington, died May 5, 2012, after the tree he was cutting down unexpectedly splintered, causing him to fall about 60 feet to the ground and strike his head on a fence post. He died at the scene.
The top portion of the tree had a cable attached to it that was tied or was being tied to a backhoe. The cable was to guide which way the tree would fall. Woods was using proper tree-cutting equipment, including an attached belt secured around the tree, according to the report.
As Woods was cutting off the portion of the tree, it snapped unexpectedly, causing him to fall. He hit his head on a fence post during the fall, causing major skull trauma.
Woods was an experienced tree cutter, according to the Kitsap Sun report.
Submitted by Doug Cleland of Cleland’s Tree Removal in Port Orchard, Washington.
Pinned climber rescued
A tree trimmer pinned 40 feet up in a tree by a cut log had to be rescued by firefighters in West Jefferson, Ohio, May 5, 2012.
The log, which weighted approximately 800 pounds and was tethered by a rope held by a helper on the ground, swung toward the tree instead of away, pinning the man’s foot and ankle against the tree.
Rescuers were able to get the tree-trimmer to safety by extending a fire truck ladder with a bucket on it into the tree, where they freed the tree trimmer and lowered him to the ground. The man reported being in pain in the leg that had been trapped. Medics say he did not fall because he was rigged in a safety harness. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, according to the NBC4 report.
Bucket operator electrocuted
Chester Sipes, 47, of Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, operator of a local tree service, hit a 30-foot line carrying more than 13,000 volts of electricity while ascending in a bucket May 9, 2012, in Edgeworth, Pa. The local police chief was in the area and heard the shock and saw the flash, then saw Sipes collapse in the bucket. Sipes was taken to Sewickley Valley Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
It took rescuers additional time to bring the bucket down because the power went through the truck and severed the vehicle’s hydraulic lines, according to the KDKA-TV report.
An Associated Press report said Sipes backed into the line, and that two other workers called for help immediately, but that it took crews about 10 minutes to lower the bucket because the electronic controls had been destroyed.
Submitted by Doug Bozich, tree service operator in Verona, Pa.
Tree worker hurt in 30-foot fall
A 46-year-old Asbury Park, New Jersey, tree worker fell approximately 30 feet out of a tree May 10, 2012, in Manalapan, N.J. The extent of the man’s injuries were not immediately known, but he was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center for treatment. It was the man’s first day on the job for a local tree service, according to manalapan.patch.com.
Woman killed in struck-by
A woman walking along the shore path of Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, May 10, 2012, was killed by a falling branch while a tree-trimming crew was working in the area. Jane L. Westmas, 61, died of massive internal injuries to her chest.
Westmas and her son, Jason Westmas, 35, had been walking the path near an interfaith retreat center. Workers from a Crystal Lake, Illinois, tree service were trimming trees at the time
The workers apparently told investigating officers they called out a warning to the walkers.
However, a branch fell and struck Westmas who was transported to Mercy Walworth Hospital and Medical Center in Lake Geneva, where she was pronounced dead, according to a WalworthCountyToday.com report.
Tree trimmer electrocuted
A 23-year-old tree trimmer died May 14, 2012, at a Fort Worth, Texas, job site after a piece of his equipment came in contact with power lines.
Jose Murcia was working with a lawn service crew at a home. The shock scorched the tree limb and left him dangling from the tree. Firefighters spent about an hour getting his body down. Murcia, from Arlington, Texas, and had owned the tree trimming service for 10 years, according to the NBC 5 KXAS report.
Man, 84, killed cutting tree
An 84-year-old man was killed when he was struck by a tree he was cutting May 16, 2012, in Oakfield, New York. A friend was checking on LaVerne Bridge the next morning when he found Bridge’s body in a small stream. Deputies say Bridge was cutting a tree when it split and hit him, according to The Daily News of Batavia and The Corning Leader of Corning.
Bridges was cutting a 10-inch diameter tree with a chain saw about a half mile behind his home when the tree came down, striking Bridges in the head, according to a WBTA AM 1490 report.
Boom truck operator hurt by cut tree
A 57-year-old boom truck operator working for a local tree service was rescued May 17, 2012, in Dracut, Massachusetts, after the tree trunk he was moving slipped and knocked him from his seat.
Several trees were being removed at a residence at the time. The victim was sitting on an exposed seat on the truck, about 10 to 15 feet in the air. He was reportedly assisting in taking a tree down when the tree apparently split or slipped. A large portion of the tree apparently swung down and struck the operator, knocking him off of his seat.
The man was taken to the hospital, but suffered non-life threatening injuries, according to the 7NEWS/WHDH and Lowell Sun reports.
Tree worker dies in fall
Steven A. Joseph, 43, of Winsted, Connecticut, died May 18, 2012, at a Hartford hospital one day after being injured in a tree cutting accident in New Hartford, Conn.
Joseph, who worked for the New Hartford highway department but also ran his own tree service, had taken the day off to do some tree work. He and another man were doing the tree work when the accident occurred, according to The Hartford Courant.
Joseph was struck by a falling tree limb and fell from a tree, hitting the ground head-first, according to a NewHartfordPlus.com report.
Man seriously injured in fall from tree
A man was seriously injured May 18, 2012, in a 40-foot fall from a tree in the Huntsville, Alabama, area. The 42-year-old was cutting a tree at a job site when the accident happened. He was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries, according to reports in The Huntsville Times and the Daily Comet.
Climber injured in fall
A tree climber was injured May 18, 2012, after falling an estimated 20 feet from a tree in Lexington, Kentucky. Something caused the rope he was hanging from to snap or come undone and the man fell, apparently landed on his head.
The victim was alert but wasn’t speaking or moving much, but was moving his arms a little bit, and had a big mark on the side of his face where he had hit his head, according to a witness quoted in an NBC LEX Channel 18 report.
Climber cuts wrist when chain saw slips
A professional tree cutter was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, after the chain saw he was using slipped and cut into his wrist May 20, 2012, in Bremerton, Wash.
Responding firefighters found the man, described in his late 20s, attached to a tree about 35 feet above the ground. They bandaged the man’s wrist before helping him out of his harness and getting him to the ground, according to the Kitsap Sun report.
Submitted by Doug Cleland of Cleland’s Tree Removal in Port Orchard, Washington.
Spray worker run over by tractor
A Wichita, Kansas, man was injured when he was run over by a tractor while working in Geary County, Kansas, May 21, 2012.
A tree company line clearance crew was working down in a ravine and workers were pulling a hose down to spray chemicals used to kill tree stumps. A tractor was situated at the top of the ravine with a tank on top that held the chemicals. The tractor rolled down the hill, rolling over 23-year-old Bryan Casey.
Casey complained of back and chest pain at the scene and was airlifted to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. Reports indicate that he was listed in stable condition, according to a www.wibw.com report.
Bucket operator hurt in fall
A tree worker in his 20s was rushed to the hospital May 22, 2012, after falling 30 feet from a bucket truck while trimming trees in West Palm Beach, Florida. The man was airlifted to St. Mary’s Medical Center where he was listed as a trauma patient, according to a WFLX Fox 29 report.
Tree worker killed in fall
A tree worker died May 31, 2012, in a fall while working in Austintown, Ohio.
Timothy Wiech, 42, of Chardon, a tree care company employee, died almost immediately from blunt force injuries to his head and chest at an Ohio Edison substation, according to a WYTV Channel 33 report.
April 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber crushed by cut load
A man hired to take down a tree in the backyard of a Manchester, New Hampshire, home was killed April 3, 2012, when the tree apparently shifted unexpectedly.
Ronald LaValliere, 59, of Goffstown, N.H., was attached to the tree with a harness 30 feet above ground. He was removing limbs with a chain saw. While taking down one of the limbs, the tree shifted and a large segment of the tree fell, pulling his chest harness and pinning him against the tree and causing his death, apparently by asphyxiation, according to the New Hampshire Union Leader report.
LaValliere was an independent contractor hired by the homeowner. Another person was helping at the base of the tree. The Fire Department called in another tree service to help get the man’s body down from the tree.
Homeowner hurt in fall from ladder
A 59-year-old man was in critical condition at a Boston hospital with head injuries after he fell off a ladder while apparently working on a tree outside his Pembroke, Massachusetts, home April 4, 2012.
The man fell 15 to 20 feet from a ladder onto pavement below and was knocked unconscious. He was still breathing but unconscious when rescue workers arrived, according to The Patriot Ledger.
Homeowner killed by felled tree
David Kane, 67, was killed April 5, 2012, after being struck by a cut tree outside his Williams Township, Pennsylvania, home. Kane was cutting down a tree in the woods behind the house when the tree fell. He died of multiple blunt-force trauma, according to The Express-Times report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner was killed April 7, 2012, in Somerset, Pennsylvania, after being struck by a tree he cut down. Richard N. Toci, 62, suffered blunt force trauma, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
The tree apparently kicked back and fell on top of him. He was discovered by a family member a short time after the accident, according to CBS affiliate KDKA in Pittsburgh.
Submitted by Doug Bozich, owner of Doug Bozich Tree Service in Verona, Pa.
Man severs arm trimming tree
A man severed his arm April 7, 2012, while trimming a tree in Lake Worth, Florida. The man was trimming a tree with a chain saw when the incident occurred. He was rushed by paramedics to the Delray Medical Center. An update on the man’s condition was not immediately available, according to The Miami Herald.
Boy, 6, killed helping dad with chipper
A 6-year-old boy died in a wood chipper accident April 10, 2012, in Salem, Connecticut, while helping his father on a landscaping job during school vacation week. Jeffrey Bourgeois was putting a branch into the chipper when it pulled him into the machine after his father turned his back for a moment.
Jeffrey had gone to work with his father and two older siblings. The boy’s father runs a landscaping business and was doing a job when the accident happened. Jeffrey was pronounced dead at the scene.
State police have launched an investigation into the accident but it is not criminal, according to a www.cbsnews.com report.
Man seriously injured cutting tree
A man cutting trees April 11, 2012, in Leominster, Massachusetts, suffered serious injuries when a tree apparently kicked back at him, hitting him in the head and upper chest area and causing severe trauma to the face and upper chest. The 45-year-old man, who was working at ground level when the tree him, was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. It was unclear whether the victim was a paid contractor or a friend of the homeowner, according to the Sentinel & Enterprise report.
Tree worker electrocuted
A tree-trimmer was electrocuted April 12, 2012, in Fort Meyers, Florida, while working from the ladder bucket of his company’s truck. Power outages around the scene were reported for about 30 minutes, according to a WINK-TV/www.news-press.com report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A homeowner died April 14, 2012, from injuries he suffered when a tree fell on him in Haddam, Connecticut. Investigators say the victim was cutting trees in his backyard when the accident occurred. A medical helicopter transported the man to a city hospital where he later died, according to a www.nbcconnecticut.com report.
Man trapped, injured by cut tree
A man was trapped in his pickup truck and seriously injured by a cut tree April 14, 2012, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
A private contractor was bringing down an old oak tree when the tree kicked back the wrong way and fell on top of the pickup truck, trapping the man. Firefighters extricated the man from the vehicle using the Jaws of Life. The man was taken to Baystate Medical Center and was in serious condition, according to The Republican.
Man cuts throat on chain saw
A York County, Pennsylvania, man suffered a throat injury but escaped serious injury April 18, 2012, when he fell on a running chain saw in Lebanon County.
Kevin B. Murphy, 49, of Manchester, Pa., a tree care company employee, was cutting trees and brush along the highway. He was about 20 feet up a steep embankment when he slipped and landed on the running chain saw. He was treated at Hershey Medical Center and released, according to The York Dispatch.
Man injured by cut tree
A Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, man was critically injured April 19, 2012, after a tree that was being cut down fell on him. William R. Hughey III, 34, was taken by medical helicopter from the scene to UPMC Pittsburgh for his injuries. He was listed in critical condition the next day, according to the WYTV Channel 33, in Youngstown, Ohio, report.
Bucket operator dies in fall
A man cutting tree limbs in Westminster, South Carolina, died April 20, 2012, after he fell about 10 feet to the ground from an aerial lift. Bobby Clontz, 50, was getting ready to lower the bucket he used to help him cut the limbs when the trailer it was attached to collapsed. The basket hit a piece of equipment nearby, knocking Clontz to the ground. He died at the hospital about an hour later, according to the Aiken Standard.
Man electrocuted trimming on ladder
A 32-year-old Lemont, Illinois, man was electrocuted April 20, 2012, while trimming a tree at his home. The man was on a ladder trimming a tree when the ladder made contact with an overhead high-voltage wire, according to the Chicago Sun-Times report.
Man killed by falling limb
A man cutting trees April 23, 2012, in Pulaski, Wisconsin, was struck and killed by a falling limb. Rodney M. Keever, 64, of Muscoda, was working on private land with other people at the time of the accident, according to WISC-TV/
Channel3000.com. He died at the scene, according to a Journal Sentinel report.
Man injured by cut branch
A man cutting down a tree on private property was in critical condition after a tree limb measuring about 12 inches in diameter fell on him April 24, 2012, in Howell, Michigan.
Firefighters got the branch off him in about 15 minutes, and he was transported to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, according to the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A tree service worker was killed by a cut limb April 25, 2012, while working at the Sky Farm nudist club in Bernards Township, New Jersey.
Nicholas Rutikowski, 25, of Frenchtown in Hunterdon County, was killed when a tree limb approximately 4 feet long and weighing about 40 pounds fell from about 70 feet and hit him. He was pronounced dead at the scene from an apparent head injury. Rutikowski, part of a three-member crew working at the site, was wearing all proper safety gear, according to The Bernardsville News report.
Tree worker dies after fall
Robert Michael Prove, 37, of Smithville, Texas, died the week of April 25, 2012, after falling an estimated 35 feet from a tree in a backyard in Smithville.
Prove, who owned T’s Tree Service with his wife, Tabatha Munson, had tied a rope to a cluster of branches and then dropped the other end to his spotter. Witnesses said the limb Prove was on was rising and dropping as he sawed on it. As the cut branches dropped to the ground, the limb he was on broke and he fell, landing on a wooden privacy fence, according to The Smithville Times report. Prove, who was not secured by a harness or rope, broke the fence in the fall and then landed on the ground.
CPR was administered and emergency medical services arrived within minutes and transported Prove to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Munson had left the job site to get gas and when she returned EMS was on the scene, the report said.
Climber killed by cut tree
A Goffstown, New Hampshire, tree climber died April 28, 2012, in Newbury, N.H., after a portion of the tree he was cutting fell onto him, causing fatal injuries.
Corey Lee Houston, 20, was wearing climbing gear while cutting the top off of a large pine tree on private property. Changing wind condition may have played a role in the mishap, and investigators were looking into the direction of Houston’s cuts into the wood to determine how much of a factor the wind was.
Houston, who owned a lawn and tree service, was wearing proper safety equipment, according to the Concord Monitor.
March 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Crane truck operator electrocuted
A tree care company worker was electrocuted while working at a residence March 2, 2012, in Pineville, Louisiana.
Charles Griffin, 49, was operating a crane truck in the yard of the residence when a portion of the boom contacted a power line. Griffin jumped from the truck, but touched a metal ladder connected to the truck. He was taken by emergency responders to Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, where he was pronounced dead, according to the report on www.thetowntalk.com in Alexandria, La.
Submitted by Darren Green, ASLA, landscape architect/forester, City of Alexandria, Louisiana.
Trimmer electrocuted touching truck
A man was electrocuted in a tree-trimming accident March 5, 2012, in Sac County, Iowa. Edward Peters, 63, of Lake View, who owned a painting and tree trimming business, was leaning on a boom truck while a worker in a bucket on the truck was cutting branches. The 50-foot boom touched an overhead power line. Electricity traveled through the truck and Peters, who died at a hospital in Sac City. The co-worker wasn’t injured, according to the Omaha World-Herald report.
Climber rescued after tree fails
A tree thought to have been killed by drought in Houston, Texas, fell on top of a climber trying to remove it March 6, 2012.
The climber, 30, was 30 to 40 feet up when he cut a limb and the entire tree fell over on top of him. Workers had to cut the trees off the victim to save his life. He was flown to the hospital with two leg fractures and possible spinal injuries.
Firefighters believe the crew was doing everything right when the tree snapped, according to a KPRC TV report, and limbs cut prior to the failure appeared solid.
Tree company owner killed in struck-by
A falling tree limb struck Clayton Leon Boyd, 61, of Brodnax, Virginia, March 8, 2012, in New Kent, Virginia, killing him. Boyd was the owner of a tree service company. The accident occurred in woods off a highway, according to a WAVY-TV report.
Man hurt by cut tree
A large tree limb fell on a man helping to cut a tree down March 10, 2012, in Marlboro, Massachusetts, pinning him on the ground. The man was located about 70 yards behind a house, with a large tree branch on top of his left thigh. Using equipment, the fire department was able to free the man, who was not complaining of any pain but who was transported to UMass Medical Center in Worcester for precautionary measures.
The victim was assisting the homeowner at the time of the incident, according to the Marlborough Patch.
Man critically injured by falling tree
A man was critically injured March 11, 2012, when a large tree he was cutting down fell on him in Dunn, Wisconsin.
James Hirsch, 51, was revived after being found without a pulse and not breathing on Department of Natural Resources property. Hirsch had obtained a permit to cut wood on the DNR property.
A neighbor to the property heard Hirsch’s cries for help and called 911. First responders and neighbors lifted the tree off of Hirsch. CPR was started on Hirsch, and by the time he was being transported to the hospital, his pulse had been restored, according to The Capital Times report.
Man felling trees killed by struck-by
A man died March 12, 2012, after a tree fell on him while he was helping to clear a vacant lot in Puna, Big Island, Hawaii.
Methodius Suda, 30, of Hilo had been helping cut down trees on a relative’s lot. As he was cutting an Albizia tree, he was struck in the head by a falling ʻohia tree (a flowering evergreen myrtle) and knocked unconscious. The 30-40 foot ʻohia tree, about 8-10 inches in diameter, had already been cut and was leaning against the Albizia tree before it struck Suda.
Fire department personnel took him to Hilo Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to the HawaiiNewsDaily.com report.
Climber rescued from tree
Firefighters used a ladder truck March 13, 2012, to rescue a tree service company climber suspended in a tree behind a house in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The man was trimming a tree when a limb that he cut swung back and hit him. The man, who was helped down by the department’s high level rescue team, was hospitalized, but his name and condition were unavailable immediately, according to the News & Record report.
Trimmer killed when aerial boom fails
A tree trimmer was killed March 19, 2012, in Carroll County, Ohio, after the bucket he was working in fell to the ground with him in it. Ebner Whitman, 49, of Amsterdam, Ohio, an employee of a local tree care company had been working in the bucket trimming trees along the roadway. He was about 30 feet up when the boom, which was extended about 15 feet from the truck, reportedly broke and the bucket fell.
Whitman was found in the bucket still attached to his safety line, according to the Salem News report.
Tree worker killed by falling branch
A tree worker died March 23, 2012, after he was struck by a falling limb in South Bend, Indiana. Mardoqueo Pineda, 60, who had been working in the backyard of a home, was found unconscious with a pool of blood around him when emergency personnel arrived. The tree branch was about 8 inches in diameter and about 2 feet long, and fell 30 feet onto his head. He was taken to Memorial Hospital with a head wound and quickly pronounced dead from blunt force trauma to the head. It was unclear if Pineda was wearing a helmet, according to the South Bend Tribune report.
Police chief injured cutting from ladder
The Atlantic, Iowa, police chief was hospitalized after suffering multiple injuries in a tree cutting mishap March 26, 2012, at his Atlantic home. Steve Green, 53, was on a ladder at his home cutting a branch off of a tree about 15-to-18-feet off the ground when the branch hit the ladder, knocking him to the ground. He suffered a broken shoulder blade, fractured shoulder and collar bone, two broken ribs, bruises to his face, and other, internal injuries, according to a KJAN Atlantic/RadioIowa.com report.
Tree worker injured by falling tree
A tree service worker was injured after part of a tree being cut fell on him March 26, 2012, in Marshall County, Indiana.
The man was working on a 50-foot pine tree, bringing down the top section, which was about 20 feet tall. He was apparently using a rope to lower the section and the rope pulled him forward, causing the section of tree to land on him.
The man suffered leg injuries. The extent of his injuries were not immediately known, according to the WNDU NewsCenter 16 report.
Tree trimmer electrocuted
An employee of a tree cutting business died from of an accidental electrocution after he contacted a power line while trimming tree branches March 27, 2012, in Friendswood, Texas.
Julio Cesar Castro, 37, was in a tree attached to a waist harness trimming backyard limbs with a pole saw. Co-workers heard Castro scream and climbed a ladder to help but were unable to free him.
The Galveston County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Castro’s death was from an accidental electrocution, according to The Daily News report.
Climber rescued from palm
Emergency crews rescued a tree worker stuck in a palm March 28, 2012, in Clairemont California. The man was trimming a 25-foot palm when he became stuck, according to the San Diego Fire Department. Authorities said the man was wearing a harness when he became stuck, presumably by collapsing palm fronds. Shortly after the incident was reported, the man was safely removed from the tree, according to www.nbcsandiego.com.
Firefighter injured from struck-by
A firefighter escaped serious injury when he was struck by a falling tree while fighting a ground fire March 29, 2012, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Kurt Jensen, 60, a member of the Fall Creek Area Fire Department, was moving a hose, while others in the area of a fire along a road west of Augusta were cutting trees. One, about 6 inches in diameter, landed on his head. Firefighters cutting the trees on a hillside may not have known he was in the area.
Jensen said he might have seen it coming and tried to take a step and start running, but was not able to avoid it. He was wearing a neck collar and suffering pain is in his left hip following the incident, but his helmet may have helped him avoid more serious injury. “The helmet kept my head from getting cut open,” he was quoted as telling The Leader-Telegram.
Climber electrocuted
A Philadelphia tree worker was electrocuted March 29, 2012, while trimming trees in the rear yards of homes in Abington, Pennsylvania. David Ruiz, 47, was in a tree in an area separating backyards of homes on two roads when it is believed he swung his safety line around and it came in contact with a high tension electric line and he was electrocuted. A co-worker on the ground was able to pull on a rope that was dangling from Ruiz to the ground, breaking the contact between Ruiz and the power line, but Ruiz remained hung up in the tree. After power to the wires was cut, members of the Abington Fire Company were able to use ladders to reach Ruiz and lower him to the ground, where he was pronounced dead, according to a Montgomery News report.
Tree company worker crushed by dump
A tree service employee was killed March 29, 2012, in Pella, Iowa, when he was crushed by the falling body of a dump truck.
John “Jack” Allen Hagens, of Pella, was attempting to secure a tarp to the bed of a dump truck. While standing between the raised truck bed and the cab of the truck, it appears Hagen’s leg inadvertently hit the release leaver on the truck, thus sending the raised bed down onto him. Hagen was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Knoxville Journal-Express.
Tree worker killed by struck-by
Tyler Granfield, 28, of Southwick, Massachusetts, founder of his own tree service company, was killed March 29, 2012, when a tree fell on him while working in the backyard of a home in East Longmeadow, Mass., according to a WWLP-22News report.
February 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man injured while working from ladder
A 54-year-old man was hurt in a tree cutting incident February 4, 2012, in Hanover, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
The victim suffered head trauma while working from a ladder. Investigators said they were unsure if the man was hurt after a part of the tree fell on him or if he was injured by the tree-cutting tool he was using.
The man suffered serious life-threatening injuries, according to a WBAL-TV 11 report.
Man killed cutting trees
A 74-year-old man found dead near his Washington, New Jersey, home February 4, 2012, apparently died in a tree-cutting accident.
People walking a dog found Eric Edelstein’s body in a wooded area of the Warren County town around 4:30 p.m. It appears Edelstein was trying to cut a tree when his chain saw kicked back and a piece of splintered wood struck his body. But authorities were still working the next day to determine when the accident occurred and what caused his death.
Edelstein, who lived alone, was last seen the day before he was found. Neighbors say he regularly cut firewood and was often working around the home where he had lived for more than 20 years, according to The Express-Times of Pennsylvania, and The New Jersey Herald.
Two rescued from lift bucket
Firefighters rescued two men trapped in a lift while trimming trees February 5, 2012, in Exeter Township, Pennsylvania.
The men had borrowed the equipment and were using it to trim branches at the home of one of the men. But when they cut the top of the tree, it apparently fell onto the bucket, trapping them in the bucket 30 or 40 feet in the air.
The property owner was not injured but could not get out of the bucket because he was blocked by the tree. The other man, Jeremiah Yoder, 32, of Exeter, was injured when his leg was pinned between the fallen tree top and the rest of the trunk.
Yoder was taken to a local hospital with leg injuries. Information on his condition could not immediately be obtained. Firefighters used the bucket on their fire truck to reach the men and remove the tree with ropes, chains and a saw, according to the Reading Eagle report.
Man killed in tree cutting accident
A 57-year-old man was killed February 15, 2012, in Middleburgh, New York, cutting trees that had been damaged by Tropical Storm Irene last summer.
Charalambos Ioannou was working with his 21-year-old son when a tree they were cutting down kicked back and pinned the older man. Deputies say the son cut the tree off the father and drove him to a nearby road. Ioannou was taken to Cobleskill Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Daily Gazette and The Post-Standard.
Contributed by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist; National Grid – Central Division, Syracuse, N.Y.
Tree worker killed in struck-by
An eastern Kentucky man cutting trees along a highway was hit by a branch and killed February 28, 2012, in Lee County, Kentucky. Co-workers say the tree limb fell from about 40-feet and landed on top of Roger Roberts, 39.
Roberts was part of a three-man crew on the job. Working at the base of the tree, Roberts heard his co-workers yell and apparently tried to run, but was too late. Roberts’ body lay in the grove of trees for hours as state police, then OSHA, came to investigate.
Roberts, a tree trimmer for seven years, worked for a tree service company based in Georgia that partially specializes in cleaning up storm damage, according to the Lex 18 News report.
Due to a reporting error, some February accidents were omitted from the April report.
January 2012 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Road worker killed by cut tree
A Newark, Ohio, man died January 5, 2012, when a tree he was helping cut down fell on him in Granville Township, Ohio.
Troy Murphy, 45, was part of a Licking County road crew working to remove a tree when it fell on him.
Murphy had spent much of the day helping a crew cut down a tree that was leaning over the road. The tree – which had a trunk about 3 feet in diameter – was cut in sections from the top down. With 15 feet of the tree left, Murphy had just made the last cut to the trunk when the tree twisted in an odd way, according to the report in The Newark Advocate.
Murphy was unable to get out of the way and the tree fell against him. Co-workers removed the tree and performed CPR, but Murphy died before Granville Township fire personnel arrived.
Man hurt by cut tree
An Elk Mound, Wisconsin, man was flown to the hospital after part of a tree fell on him January 6, 2012.
Gary Reither, 43, was cutting down a tree when it apparently became hung up on other trees he was cutting. The cut tree then let loose and came down on him, with limbs hitting him in the face and across the body.
Reither was conscious and alert when rescue crews arrived. He was flown to Regions Hospital in St. Paul where he was listed in good condition, according to WEAU 13 News.
Man killed by tree he was cutting
Robert D. Bushey, 72, was killed January 10, 2012, when the tree he was cutting fell on him at Bushey Family Tree Farm in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.
It appeared Bushey had been cutting a storm-damaged tree when it fell on him. Rescue crews used chain saws to get the tree off the victim. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Bushey, who was found about 7 p.m., had not been heard from since early that morning, according to the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass.
Ground worker decapitated by rope caught in chipper
A tree worker was decapitated January 12, 2012, in Nevada City, California, when he became entangled in a rope that was sucked into a wood chipper.
Martin Lara, 50, of Applegate, Calif., part of a crew clearing brush on a hillside, was operating the chipper while other members of the crew were using ropes to tie up bundles of brush to bring to the chipper. Somehow, a rope wound around Lara’s neck and the tension had the effect of beheading him, according to a reuters.com report, which added that no part of Lara went into the chipper at all, contrary to some published reports.
Trimmer injured in fall from bucket
A man was injured January 16, 2012, when he fell out of the bucket of a lift truck while cutting trees in Anderson, South Carolina.
Something apparently hit the bucket or bucket truck, knocking the man out and onto a metal carport below. The man was taken to the hospital, but there was no immediate word on how serious his injuries were, according to the WYFF News 4 report.
Bucket operator injured by contact with power line
A tree care bucket operator was taken to the hospital in critical condition January 18, 2012, after he ran into power lines while trying to cut tree limbs in Ogden, Utah.
The privately owned company was cutting down a large tree behind a house when one of the workers was injured after his head hit a power line. The man was trying to take his bucket between two power lines when his head touched the power line and it shocked him. The man was not wearing a helmet when crews arrived, and it was unclear if the man had one on while working, according to a report in The Salt Lake Tribune.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring through all of 2011
December 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man hurt in struck-by
A man was hurt December 2, 2011, near Granite Quarry, North Carolina, when a large tree limb hit him in the head while his company was working on the tree. Charles Shoaf, owner of the tree cutting service, was in critical condition after a falling tree limb hit him on the head.
The Salisbury Post quoted a co-worker at the scene as saying, “It was too late. I didn’t see him. I don’t know why he walked under me when he heard the chain saw running.”
The employee in the tree had been cutting a series of limbs from a tree, and Shoaf was on the ground taking a rope around to the other side when he was hit, according to the Salisbury Post report.
Man injured in struck-by
A man was critically injured December 3, 2011, in a tree cutting accident in Winsted, Connecticut. Jose Batista, 52, of Naugatuck, and another man who was not identified, were cutting down a maple tree that towered over a small cottage when a log cut from the top of the tree fell about 40 feet, striking Batista in the head, according to an American-Republican report.
Tree worker injured
A man was injured while trimming trees December 9, 2011, in North Lawrence, Kansas.
He was injured while working for a private company. His injuries were not life-threatening, according to a Lawrence Journal-World report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man was killed December 10, 2011, in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, when a large tree he was cutting in his back yard fell on him. Troy Braniff, 40, of St. Bernard Parish, was pronounced dead at the scene following the accident.
Braniff, with his father-in-law present, was using a chain saw to fell a large tree in the back yard of the family residence. He had been cutting sections of the tree when a large piece cracked and fell, toppling across his upper chest, according to a WWL AM 870/FM 105.3 report.
It was speculated that the man did not hear the piece crack due to the noise of the chain saw, according to a FOX 8 News report.
Climber killed in struck-by
A tree trimmer working for a tree-trimming company was killed December 13, 2011, in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Dustin Greathouse, 34, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was in a tree cutting branches when a branch fell on him. Emergency crews responded to a report of a man hanging by ropes in a tree.
Greathouse was suspended in his climbing harness about 40 or 50 feet above the ground. It was determined that he was dead, and crews used an aerial lift to eventually reach him and lower his body to the ground.
He apparently died of blunt force injuries to the head and neck, and traumatic asphyxia, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald report.
Tree worker injured when truck tips
Soft ground caused a tree care service aerial lift to tip over December 12, 2011, in Milton, Indiana, injuring the bucket operator. Thomas L. Kennedy fell with the boom, landing in the brush away from the truck. Kennedy was conscious and alert when he was taken to the hospital, but his injuries were not known. He was listed in fair condition at the hospital shortly after the accident.
The tree service crew was contracted to trim trees back from power lines. While the boom was extended, one of the truck’s outriggers sank into the ground, causing the truck tip onto its side, according to a report in The Madison Courier.
Trimmer killed by car
A tree trimmer was killed December 19, 2011, when he was hit by a car while working with a crew trimming trees from the power lines on Highway 107 in Unicoi County, Tennessee. The company had set up a work area on the highway and one of the workers was walking down the road, in the work area, when he was struck. The driver of the car said the sun was in his eyes and he did not see the man walking down the road.
A doctor who was passing by the accident just after it occurred stopped and attempted to help the injured man, but was unsuccessful. The man was taken to Johnson City Medical Center and was later pronounced dead, according to a WJHL-TV Channel 11 report.
Man killed by tree while cutting wood
An East Tennessee woman found her husband’s body under a huge tree where he had been cutting firewood about a half mile from their home December 23, 2011. Gary France, 59, of Strawberry Plains, Tenn., had been cutting firewood alone.
Emergency personnel arrived to find France face down, dead, with a tree about 30 inches in diameter across his back and neck, according to a report in The Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Farmer cutting wood hurt in struck-by
A Fremont, New York, farmer was severely injured after a tree fell on his head December 22, 2011. Bruce Gardner, 55, was chopping wood about 500 feet into the woods on his property when he was struck by a tree that fell onto his head.
Gardner had no feeling below his waist and had laid out in the woods near his home for about three hours before a family member called 911. A conscious Gardner was flown by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.
His condition was not immediately reported, but he had apparent head injuries, according to a Times Herald-Record report.
Woman injured trimming from ladder
A 74-year-old Sandwich, Massachusetts, woman was seriously injured December 22, 2011, after falling from a ladder while trimming a tree in her yard. The woman was using an electric saw 25 feet up in a tree to cut a branch when the branch fell, hitting the ladder, causing her to fall.
She was found conscious between a chain link fence and a post at her home when firefighters arrived. The woman sustained injuries to her chest, ankle and shoulder. She could not remember what she was doing at the time of the accident.
She was taken to Boston Medical Center via med flight, but her condition was not immediately available, according to WFXT-TV FOX25 news.
Man killed while felling trees
A central New York man was killed December 27, 2011, in what was reported as a logging accident at his camp in West Turin, N.Y.
Terry Planck, 52, of Boonville in neighboring Oneida County was cutting trees at his property in West Turin. One of the trees apparently got hung up on another tree, then hit him on the head when he dislodged it. He was found by his son.
Planck was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
Homeowner injured in struck-by
James D. Harrington, 54, of Parish, New York, was in fair condition at Upstate University Hospital after a tree fell on him December 27, 2011.
Harrington’s father-in-law, told police he and Harrington were cutting trees. They tried to cut one tree that fell partially and became entangled with another. When Harrington cut a third tree, that one fell and disentangled the first tree, which fell and struck Harrington in the back according to a report in The Post-Standard.
Man injured in struck-by
A man was cutting down and removing dead trees from privately-owned land December 28, 2011, in Washington, New York, when a falling limb landed on another dead limb, which came down on his unprotected head. Todd Croshier, 41, of Pleasant Valley, N.Y., was listed in critical but stable condition with severe head trauma including a skull fracture.
The homeowner, who was also working in the woods, witnessed the accident called 911. State Police and firefighters were able to free Croshier from under the limb and he was transported to the hospital, according to a MidHudsonNews.Com report.
Homeowner killed by burning tree
A man was killed December 29, 2011, in Waskom, Texas, when a tree he was burning prior to cutting it down fell on him. Nathaniel Fletcher, 61, of Waskom, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fletcher’s son reported hearing what sounded like an explosion, went outside and found his father under the burning tree. The son rolled as much of the tree as he could off of his father, but was unable to remove the largest portion from the his legs.
Deputies and fire personnel were able to remove the tree from the victim. It appeared that he had multiple lacerations and burns, broken legs, and was killed by the burning tree falling on top of him, according to KTBS Channel 3 report.
Trimmer electrocuted in bucket
Firefighters spent an hour trying unsuccessfully to revive a southern Utah man who was electrocuted while using a hoist to trim tree December 30, 2011, in St. George, Utah. James Bradley Meinert, 56, apparently hit a 39,000-volt power line.
Meinert was working as high as 25 feet trimming trees on private property when he was electrocuted. Firefighters had to work around power wires they thought were still hot to bring Meinert down from his basket, according to a Deseret News report.
Man dies in fall from ladder
An off-duty Coventry, Rhode Island, police officer was killed December 30, 2011, while trimming trees from a ladder at his Coventry home. Wayne French, 55, a detective, was cutting trees when an extension ladder either collapsed or he fell from it. The officer’s fiancé found French on the driveway. Rescuers performed CPR. He was pronounced dead at Kent Hospital, according to NBC 10 WJAR news.
Resident killed cutting trees
Clayton Hunt, 51, died December 31, 2011, while cutting trees at his brother’s house in Thomasville, North Carolina. Witnesses said Hunt was on a tractor when a tree fell on him, according to a WFMY News Channel 2 report.
November 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2012 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed by cut limb
A homeowner died November 1, 2011, in Dennis Township, New Jersey, after a tree limb he was cutting on a tree in his yard fell on him. Frank Smith, 61, was on a ladder using a chain saw to remove part of a tree when the limb fell on him, according to NBC Channel 10 in Philadelphia. Smith’s father, 88 years old, came home to find his son lying next to the tree, having fallen off the ladder.
Smith, a recently retired plumber, was cutting limbs on the 50-foot oak away from power lines when the accident occurred, according to a report in the Atlantic City Press.
Submitted by David L. Johnson, CTSP, regional forester, New Jersey Forest Service, Jackson, N.J.
Tree worker hurt in 45-foot plunge
A 33-year-old tree worker plunged 45 feet from a tree November 3, 2011, when the rope holding his harness was severed as he trimmed branches at a home in Eastchester, New York.
Amado Perez of New Rochelle suffered head and arm injuries and possible internal injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. His condition was not immediately available.
The accident happened on Perez’s second day working for the New Rochelle company contracted for the work, although he has 14 years of experience in tree work, according to the owner of the company.
Perez was in a harness secured by one rope, and he was using a second rope to lower the cut branches. The ropes somehow came together, the friction between them severed the rope holding the harness, and Perez tumbled from the tree, according to the tree care company owner, as reported in The Journal News.
Perez landed on the lawn. He was conscious, alert and communicating when police and firefighters arrived.
Tree worker dies after fall
A tree worker died of head injuries after falling some 30 feet from a tree in Rockland Township, Pennsylvania, November 4, 2011. The accident happened after dark. Douglas R. Gehman, 52, of Rockland Township, was doing tree work in a bucket truck when part of the tree started sliding toward him and he fell.
He was unresponsive after falling to the ground about 6 p.m. Firefighters reported that someone was doing CPR on him until police and paramedics arrived and took him to Lehigh Valley Hospital near Allentown suffering from head injuries, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Reading Eagle.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A Washington Valley Township, New Jersey, resident died November 7, 2011, after he was injured while using a chain saw to cut down a tree.
The 66-year-old man was cutting a tree with a chain saw. As the 40-foot tree fell, the victim’s lower leg became pinned between the stump and the cut portion of the tree. The victim was flown to Morristown Medical Center by emergency helicopter but later died from his injuries, according to the report in the Daily Record.
Man injured by cut tree
A 70-year-old Wellfleet, Massachusetts, man was flown to a Boston hospital after being injured by a falling tree at his home November 13, 2011. The man was cutting a roughly 40-foot-high tree when it fell onto his house. The man, working on getting the tree off the house, was then seriously injured when the tree snapped and landed on his lower body.
Friends were able to lift the tree off him by the time rescue crews arrived. The man was conscious but had suffered serious injuries that were not considered life threatening, according the Cape Cod Times.
Homeowner killed cutting tree
A tree broke and fell on a man who was cutting it down November 13, 2011, in Claysville, Pennsylvania, killing the man. Charles Begley, 62, of Claysville, died at the scene in the woods near his home.
An autopsy found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the chest and abdomen, according to the report from WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh.
Tree worker rescued after electrocution
A tree trimmer in Santa Barbara, California, suffered severe electrical burns November 23, 2011, after his rope wrapped around a power line.
Firefighters received a report of a man caught in a tree. When firefighters arrived, they found the man 30 feet in the air, hanging upside down. The man’s harness had slipped and only held him by the ankles.
The man had thrown the rope over a tree limb he had been preparing to work on. The rope had some metal in it and when it went around an electrical line, it carried the current back up through the man’s harness, giving him severe electrical burns.
Firefighters used a 35-foot ladder and a series of ropes and harness to get the man down. The man was still conscious on the way to Cottage Hospital, according to a report in The Daily Sound.
Climber falls 70 feet and lives
A tree worker was injured when he fell nearly 70 feet while trimming a tree at a residence in Boulder, Colorado, November 28, 2011. A witness said the man was using a safety rope as he trimmed the top of the tree when he cut a limb that took the rope down. The man briefly dangled, suspended by part of the rope, before he plummeted to the ground, the witness told KMGH-TV Channel 7 News.
The man had been using an aerial bucket, but it was unclear if it played a role in the accident, according to new reports.
The man may have been trying to tie a safety line when he fell, according to a witness. The man was conscious, but in significant pain, when paramedics arrived on scene, according to a report in the Daily Camera.
The climber landed on a lawn, a source close to the investigation told TCIA, adding that the climber sustained a compound fractured arm, a broken pelvis, a collapsed lung and probably some broken ribs, but no obvious head, neck or spinal injuries.
Tree worker injured in struck-by
A tree company employee was injured while working in Crofton, Maryland, November 28, 2011. The 25-year-old man was part of a crew and was tending to ropes when he was struck by a limb. The man was alert when paramedics took him by ambulance to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, according to a report in The Capital in Annapolis.
Worker injured in struck-by
A tree limb fell on a West Virginia Division of Highways worker in the Sissonville, W. Va., area November 28, 2011. The worker was cutting branches when he was hit by a falling limb. He was unconscious for a short time, but is expected to be OK, according to a WOWK-TV Channel 13 News report.
Man killed in struck-by
A 70-year-old Orangefield, Texas, man died November 29, 2011, after a tree fell on him while he was collecting firewood. Edwin Worthy was pronounced dead at the scene. Worthy was cutting a large tree when the top got hung up in another tree. The cut tree then broke loose and fell on Worthy, according to an NBC Channel 5/KXAS-TV report.
October 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man injured cutting fallen tree
An Ellsworth, Wisconsin, man was hospitalized October 1, 2011, after being struck in the upper body by a downed tree he was cutting in Martell, Wisc.
Evan Sayre, 42, was working to clear trees damaged when a tornado passed through the area on July 14, 2010. A spring-loaded limb snapped free and struck Sayre in the chest and face. He was wearing a helmet and other protective gear, which likely prevented more serious injury. Sayre was released from the hospital the next day, according to the River Falls Journal report.
Man injured in fall from tree
A 30-year-old man was airlifted to a medical center after falling about 40 feet from a tree in Boone, North Carolina, on October 4, 2011.
The man’s identity and condition were not immediately available, but rescuers reported that the man was attempting to cut the tree when he fell, according to a Watauga Democrat report.
Homeowner dies in fall from ladder while trimming tree
A Guttenberg, Iowa, man died October 6, 2011, after a falling off a ladder while trimming a tree behind his house. A tree limb apparently knocked John Gradoville, 61, from his ladder. He was found unconscious but he later died from his injuries, according to the www.kcci.com report.
Climber killed when branch fails
The owner of a tree-trimming business was killed October 7, 2011, after he fell while working in Lake Sherwood, in Ventura County, California.
The 56-year-old man was trimming branches of an oak at a residence when the branch he was standing on broke. He fell about 30 feet to a concrete driveway.
The victim suffered a head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Ventura County Star report.
Man critical after struck-by
A 29-year-old man was taken to the Queens Medical Center in critical condition with a gash on the top of his head October 8, 2011, after a large tree branch fell on his head in Honolulu, Hawaii. The 300- to 400-pound branch fell about 20 feet, knocking the man out for about three minutes.
The incident happened while workers were trimming the tree. The branch apparently swung out and hit the man, who reportedly was not working on the tree, according to the Star-Advertiser report.
Contributed by Carol L. Kwan, president of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Man injured by cut tree
A man cutting down a tree at a campground in Salem, Connecticut, was injured October 10, 2011, when the tree rolled on top of him. The man had cut down the tree and was trimming branches off of it when it rolled on top of him.
The tree, which was about 2 feet in diameter, came to rest on the man’s chest. Firefighters used airbags and other rescue tools to lift the tree up and off of him.
The man suffered a severely broken ankle and injuries to his chest and shoulder and was taken by helicopter to an area hospital, according to The Hartford Courant report.
Line trimmer electrocuted
A tree worker died October 13, 2011, in New Hope, Virginia, after touching a power line. John R. Bowden, 43, of Craigsville, Va., was in a bucket truck clearing tree limbs near a power line when the accident occurred.
Bowden worked for a line clearance contractor hired by Dominion Virginia Power to keep tree limbs clear of its power lines, according to a report in The News Leader.
Man dies after tree splits
A Walpole, Massachusetts, man hurt in a tree cutting accident on October 16, 2011, died of his injuries three days later.
John D. Robbins, 40, was injured while cutting the top portion of a tree in the backyard of a home in Foxboro, Mass., when the bottom portion of the tree split. Robbins was on a harness about 25 feet in the air and was pressed up against the tree after the accident. He was knocked unconscious, suffered crushing-type injuries and was in cardiac arrest when firefighters arrived.
Firefighters were able to tie a rope to Robbins’s harness then lift him off the tree and slowly lower him to the ground. He was taken to Caritas Norwood Hospital before being transferred to Brigham and Women’s Hospital, according to The Sun Chronicle.
Homeowner injured by cut branch
A Fryeburg, Maine, man was in critical condition after he was injured October 25, 2011, while cutting branches off a tree in his yard with an electric chain saw. Jean-Claude Landry, who is in his 70s, sustained head and facial injuries when a branch fell on him after he climbed down the ladder. The branch knocked Landry unconscious.
He was transported by LifeFlight helicopter to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, where he was listed in critical condition the next day, according to a Sun Journal report.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A Terre Haute, Indiana, man died October 26, 2011, after a tree trimming accident at his home. Bill Hoopingarner, 63, had been trimming trees on his property and was last been seen by his wife repairing a chain saw in the garage. A short time later his wife heard him yelling for help and found him pinned under a tree. She was unable to free him and called 911. Hoopingarner was transported to Terre Haute Regional Hospital where he later died from abdominal injuries, according to a WTHI-TV Channel 10 report.
Tree worker dies after chain saw cut
A Pennsylvania man rushed to the hospital October 28, 2011, after cutting himself with his own chain saw subsequently died from his injuries.
Steven Evans, 47, of Plum, Pa., was cutting trees on a property in Monroeville when the chain saw he was using cut his leg. He had a traumatic wound to his thigh and was bleeding profusely, according to firefighters on the scene, as reported by WTAE-TV.
Evans was working with another man at the time of the accident and first responders initially used the workers’ own ladders to get to him. He remained unconscious due to a loss of blood after the accident and died November 3 after being taken off life support, according to a family member.
Evans was approximately 26 feet high in a tree, hanging upside down from his safety harness, facing the sky following the accident. He had been standing on a limb cutting when the accident occurred. He was only able to yell to a co-worker to call 911 before losing consciousness, according to a relative.
Man injured by falling tree
A Spencer, West Virginia, man was hurt when a tree came down on him while he was cutting firewood October 15, 2011. A helicopter was called to the scene to take the man to the hospital, according to the WOWK-TV 13 report.
September 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Climber killed when tree fails
A climber was killed September 1, 2011, when the tree he was working in fell, landing on top of him. Murray Purdue, 25, of Minneapolis was attached to the tree when the accident occurred, according to KARE Channel 11.
Man electrocuted trimming on ladder
A man hired to trim a tree in Takoma Park, Maryland, was killed September 3, 2011, when the ladder he was using touched a high-voltage power line.
Orlando Hernandez, 48, of Hyattsville, Md., a day laborer, had trimmed a tree, removed some of the wood and then tried to take down the ladder. As it was being moved, police said, part of it touched a 7,620-volt line.
Police said they arrived to find the man amid flames, still in contact with the ladder, according to a report in The Washington Post. Rescue workers could not act until enough of the ladder had melted to stop the flow of current. Hernandez died immediately.
Trimmer dies after electrical shock
Robert L. Hannah, 46, died September 3, 2011, four days after being electrocuted while trimming trees in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. The cause of death was complications of thermal injury due to electrocution, according to an Erie Times-News report. An employee of a local tree service, Hannah, was shocked when his foot hit the top of an electrical line while he was cutting a tree on August 31, 2011.
Homeowner dies in fall from ladder
A man trimming a tree in southwestern Michigan died September 7, 2011, after a branch hit the ladder he was using and he fell about 20 feet to the ground. James Blehm, 60, died following the accident Wednesday outside his home in Polkton Township, about 15 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. Rescue crews responded but Blehm was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Detroit Free Press report.
Man hurt in fall while trimming trees
A man was injured September 7, 2011, in Lakeville, Minnesota, when he fell about 17 feet off a ladder while trimming a tree at his home. Dennis Feller suffered serious spinal injuries, according to the Alexandria Echo Press.
Landscaper hurt in fall from ladder
A landscaper in his mid-30s suffered life-threatening injuries September 7, 2011, when he was trimming a tree and fell from a 20-foot ladder in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. When the man fell he lost consciousness, according to a co-worker.
Police found a power line in a heavy tree canopy about 6 feet from the tree where the worker had been trimming using a pruner attached to an aluminum pole, according to the Sun Sentinel of Orlando.
Tree trimmer dies after fall
A 51-year-old man died September 9, 2011, after falling from a tree while trimming branches in Roslyn Heights, New York. Faustino Santamaria, of Westbury, N.Y., was working at a residence when the branch he was standing on broke and he fell 30 feet to the ground. Santamaria was taken to a local hospital where he died, according to the Asbury Park Press of Neptune, New Jersey.
Climber injured by crane pick
A climber was injured on or about September 9, 2011, when he was struck by a limb being moved by a crane in New Bern, North Carolina. The climber apparently urged a crane boom truck operator to continue with a heavily, top-loaded pick. The top spun over and sent the climber to the hospital with missing teeth, a broken jaw and severe lacerations to head.
Contributed by Chris Baley, CTSP, CS Tree Services, Inc. in Apex, North Carolina.
Climber injured in fall from crane
A climber was injured on or about September 9, 2011, in Selma, North Carolina, after falling from his tie-in-point on the crane.
The climber fell 30 to 40 feet, hitting a branch 10 feet off ground, landing on a hard gravel drive. He was knocked out for several minutes, and subsequently sent to the hospital with two shattered wrists and possible internal injuries.
The climber was apparently using too short a rope with no safety knot
Contributed by Chris Baley, CTSP, CS Tree Services, Inc. in Apex, North Carolina.
Ground worker cut by saw
On or about September 9, 2011, an employee for a Raleigh, North Carolina-based tree service received 20 to 30 stitches to a leg after suffering a severe laceration from chain saw.
The employee was not wearing chaps.
Contributed by Chris Baley, CTSP, CS Tree Services, Inc. in Apex, North Carolina.
Man killed by cut tree
A man died September 12, 2011, in Oconee County, South Carolina, after a tree he was helping cut down fell and struck him. Jerry Trantham, 58, was helping his son cut down a tree for firewood in Walhalla when it fell on him. Trantham died at the scene due to blunt force head trauma.
Trantham and his son had attempted to pull the tree down after cutting a wedge in it, and he was unable to escape from beneath the falling tree. His son escaped without injury. The tree was said to be around 73 feet long and 2 feet in diameter at the base, according to WHNS FOX Carolina.
Worker killed felling tree
A Pitt County, North Carolina, man died September 11, 2011, after a tree he was cutting down crushed him. The man, who was self-employed in the tree cutting business, and another person were cutting down large pine trees on the property when it happened. The tree fell, then the back end of the tree popped up and hit him, knocking him to the ground and pinning him under the fallen tree. The man died at the scene.
The fire department had to bring in equipment to lift the tree and get the victim out from under it, according to WNCT Eyewitness News Channel 9.
Man crushed by falling tree
An East Texas homeowner died September 14, 2011, after a tree that was being cut fell on him in Tyler, Texas.
Robert Nicholas Kemper Jr., 51, and two employees were cutting a tree in his yard. The tree apparently became hung up on another tree as it fell.
The trio dislodged the cut tree, then Kemper accidentally fell to the ground and was crushed by the falling tree, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Man killed by cut tree
A man died September 17, 2011, when a tree fell on him while he was cutting it for firewood in Pocatello, Idaho.
Lon Teeter, 64, was cutting down a 30-foot tree near his cabin outside Stanley, Idaho. The tree was supporting a dead tree that had previously fallen into it, which apparently caused the tree to fall in a direction Teeter hadn’t expected, according to reports in the Idaho State Journal and The Republic of Columbus, Indiana.
Woman killed in tree-cutting accident
A woman died from injuries September 18, 2011, near Parkersburg, West Virginia, when a tree limb being cut fell and hit her on the head. The property owner reported that a man was cutting a tree on his property when the accident occurred. The woman was with the tree cutter.
An ambulance transported the woman to a hospital, according to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
Homeowner killed by cut tree
A man died September 18, 2011, in Beverly, Kansas, of injuries he suffered when a tree he was cutting for firewood fell on him. Kenneth Marinhagen, 51, and another man were cutting firewood in a ditch near Marinhagen’s home. The man with Marinhagen used a tractor to pull the tree off of him and called for help.
Marinhagen was taken by ambulance to the Lincoln County Hospital while emergency workers performed CPR on him. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to the Salina Journal.
Woman, 80, killed cutting firewood
A tree fell on and killed an 80-year-old Minnesota woman September 19, 2011, as she was cutting firewood. Florance Soland, who lived about 30 miles south of Detroit Lakes, died at the scene. Soland was helping family members with the chore when the tree fell on her, according to the The Star Tribune report.
Tree company owner dies from fall
A tree company owner who fell from a tree while removing it September 21, 2011, in Lansing Township, Michigan, later died from his injuries.
Ronn Mason, 49, of Lansing, fell from a tree while working at a house, according to the Lansing State Journal. He was at first hospitalized with serious injuries, but died less than a day later.
Contributed by Jon Stauffer, owner, Majestic Tree, Dewitt, Michigan.
Man hurt felling tree
A man was taken to the hospital after a tree fell on his leg September 21, 2011, in Hindsdale, New Hampshire.
The man, who had been taking down the tree, was conscious but his leg was broken and he was suffering from internal bleeding. He was taken by helicopter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. His name and condition were not immediately available, according to The Keene Sentinel.
Climber rescued with chain saw cut
A man was rescued September 22, 2011, in Gainesville, Georgia, after cutting himself with a chain saw while 40 feet up in a tree. The man was cutting limbs at a residence when he cut his right leg. Firefighters used a platform truck to rescue the man from the tree. The injury was non-life threatening, according to the www.AccessNorthGa.com report.
Falling palm kills tree-trimmer
A 71-year-old Kailua, Hawaii, man died September 22, 2011, after the coconut tree he was trimming in Kailua fell on him. Fifita Misi died of internal bleeding in the chest after he was crushed by the tree.
Misi, who owned a tree trimming business, had been hired to trim some coconut trees at a home. While he was at the top of a full-grown tree, the roots became dislodged and the tree fell. Misi died at the hospital, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Contributed by Carol L. Kwan, Certified Arborist and president of Carol Kwan Consulting LLC in Mililani, Hawaii.
Fall from tree kills worker
A man in his early 40s died of injuries suffered when he fell about 70 feet, from near the top of a large tree he was working in, September 26, 2011, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts. The man was working for a private tree care company, and working with a crane on a 90- to 100-foot tall evergreen, when the accident occurred, according to the Lowell Sun report.
Trimmer injured when lift falls
A tree trimmer was taken to the hospital September 28, 2011, after the lift he was in tipped over in Jerusalem Township, Ohio. The man was reportedly the bucket operator. The lift was fully extended when it tipped. When emergency medical personnel arrived, the man was up and walking around. He was taken to Mercy St. Vincent’s hospital for treatment, according to WTOL News 11.
Trimmer killed in fall from bucket
A tree worker died September 28, 2011, when he fell from an aerial lift bucket in Pebble Beach, California, according to The Salinas Californian.
Carlos Amezcua, 46, of Salinas, Calif., was part of a two-man bucket crew working on a property at the time of the accident. Power lines ran along the edge of the property, according to a report on www.ibew1245.com
Amezcua, a line clearance tree trimmer foreman with a national tree care company, was operating the bucket approximately 35 feet in the air and reaching to make the cut when the bucket tilted and ejected him. He apparently was not wearing the safety harness, which was in the bucket. Amezcua, who had 15 years of experience in the tree care industry, died at the scene from his injuries.
Worker injured by downed tree
An city worker was injured in Albert Lea, Minnesota, September 29, 2011, after part of a downed tree fell on him and then pinned him underneath.
The large tree had fallen across a street during a bout of heavy wind. Monte Santee was one of two at the scene who had been called in to clear the tree out of the roadway. Santee was cutting the tree into smaller pieces with a chain saw when another part of the tree fell and hit him in the head, knocking him to the ground.
Santee’s legs were pinned under the tree and his helmet had a dent in it, according to a witness. But he was alert and was able to respond to questions. He was taken to a local hospital with unknown injuries, according to the Albert Lea Tribune.
Man injured cutting tree
A man was injured September 16, 2011, while cutting down a tree in Clermont County, Ohio. The 30-year-old man was struck in the back of the head by the falling tree. The man was flown by helicopter to University Hospital, and emergency crews said he would likely recover from his injuries, according to WLWT-TV News 5.
Man injured removing storm damage
A man suffered serious head injuries when a tree branch fell on his head September 19, 2011, while he and his brother were clearing storm damage in Middlebury, Connecticut.
Police responding to a call found a white male about 65 years old lying unconscious on his side in the dirt driveway. He was taken to Waterbury Hospital, where he was listed in serious condition, according to the Republican-American.
Man pinned by tree, dies
A Hamlin, New York, man was killed September 21, 2011, when a tree he was cutting rolled on him.
Emergency crews were called to the man’s residence after a family member found the man pinned under the tree. It appeared that the man, whose name was not released, had been under the tree for at least an hour when he was found. He was deceased when emergency crews arrived.
The man was apparently trimming large branches from the tree, which had fallen on the property a few days earlier. The family member was home at the time of the accident, but was unaware of what had happened. The family member went out to check on the man after his employer called because he had not arrived at work, according to the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester.
Contributed by John Sullivan, director of safety and training at Lewis Tree Service in West Henrietta, New York.
Man injured cutting tree for wedding
A northern Indiana man who was cutting a tree to add a decorative element to his wedding had his nuptials postponed when the tree toppled onto him the day before the wedding.
Toby Freehauf was cutting a tree stump in Lakeville, Indiana, to put his wedding cake on for a “rustic country wedding” when the tree fell on him September 23, 2011. Freehauf used his cell phone to call for help after he was injured. He later underwent back surgery.
The wedding had been set for the day after the accident, but Freehauf was expected to remain hospitalized for two weeks, according to WSBT-TV in South Bend and the Chicago Tribune.
Homeowner dies cutting tree branch
A 54-year-old Warren, Michigan, man died September 27, 2011, when he fell from a ladder while cutting a branch from a tree on his property.
The man was using a chain saw to cut a branch from a tree near his property line when he jumped off the ladder to avoid having the branch fall on him. He fell face first on the sidewalk and suffered severe trauma to his face.
Neighbors were administering cardio pulmonary resuscitation when paramedics arrived. The victim was taken to a Madison Heights hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to The Macomb Daily report.
August 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Homeowner dies after fall from ladder
Clyde Briggs, 60, and was injured August 1, 2011, in Johnstown, Colorado, when he fell from a ladder while cutting branches in a tree with a chain saw. He suffered a severe head laceration and also sustained brain injuries. He died three days later, according to The Tribune of Greeley, Colo.
Man seriously injured in fall from tree
A Fergus Falls, Minnesota, man was life flighted to Fargo August 2, 2011, after falling from the tree he was trying to cut down. Steven Frendin, 59, was seriously injured when he fell 12 feet from a tree at a Fergus Falls residence. The extent and type of his injuries was not immediately known.
The home’s resident called police around 4:15 p.m. to ask that an officer be present while Frendin cut down the tree. The resident was worried that part of the tree would fall into the roadway and create a traffic hazard. The officer arrived close to 6 p.m. and was directing traffic while Frendin worked on the cutting. At one point, Frendin cut off a large tree branch, lost his hold on the tree and fell. The officer called an ambulance and began administering first aid to Frendin.
The large branch fell onto the road and city crews arrived later to remove it, according to The Fergus Falls Daily Journal.
Climber dies after 60-foot fall
A man cutting down a tree Aug. 3, 2011, in Ocean City, Maryland, plunged 60 feet to his death apparently when his safety harness gave way. Jeremy David Bostick, 35, of Hebron, worked for a tree removal company. A crew from the company was cutting down a tree on a private property when the accident occurred.
A preliminary investigation by police found the safety harness he was using was not rigged properly, and when Bostick began his descent the harness gave out and he fell, according to an Ocean City Today report. The other workers who witnessed the accident called 911. Bostick was taken by ambulance to Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, where he was pronounced dead.
Bostick had climbed some of the tallest trees in Maryland, was studying to be an arborist and was considered by his peers as one of the best climbers in the area, according to his family, as reported on www.delmarvanow.com. He was rappelling 20 feet down the side of the trunk of the pine, readying the next section for removal. As he leaned back, the rope securing him slipped out of its 3-inch-deep notch and he fell.
“He’s done that 500 times, a thousand times, at least,” his supervisor on the job told www.delmarvanow.com.
The supervisor said he watched the 150-foot climbing rope come loose and ran toward Bostick, screaming his name. “There was nothing I could do,” he said. “I got within 6 feet of the tree. He stared at me the whole way down. I looked at him, and I kept going, ‘breathe, just breathe.’ He let one short breath out, and I knew he was gone.”
“Jeremy probably had the most raw talent of anybody I’ve met in the tree business,” the supervisor said.
Shem Bostick, 44, called his brother’s death “a bizarre accident” that stands in stark contrast with the stellar safety record of local tree trimmers. “He’d done it for so long,” he said in the www.delmarvanow.com.report. “He was extraordinarily good.”
Tree-trimmer killed in truck incident
A Nipomo, California, man died August 4, 2011, after being run over by a tree-trimming bucket truck in a hilly residential section of Solvang, in Santa Barbara County. Armando Medina, 53, was part of a two-man tree-trimming crew near the top of a hill.
While the crew’s second member was trying to disconnect a chipper-shredder trailer from the truck, the truck began rolling down the hill, running over Medina, fatally injuring him. Medina was flown by CalStar helicopter to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The truck was fully loaded with sections of tree limbs. It jumped the curb and came to rest in the front yard of a home on the south side of the sloping street, according to the Santa Maria Times report.
Man killed in logging accident
A man was killed August 10, 2011, in Freedom Township, Michigan, after a cut tree fell on him. A family had hired a tree service to remove limbs, and one of the limbs fell and hit Stanley Grubaugh, 40, who co-owned the tree service company with his brother, fatally injuring him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Manchester Enterprise and Lansing State Journal reports.
Submitted by Jon Stauffer, owner of Majestic Tree in Dewitt, Michigan.
Climber killed by struck-by
A 24-year-old tree service employee died August 11, 2011, in Forest Hill, Harford County, Maryland, after being struck and pinned between the cut limb, or a limb from an adjacent tree, and the trunk of the tree he was climbing.
Andreas Galdamez, 24, of Glen Burnie, Md., had climbed to about 30 feet and, while trimming the tree, a section subsequently fell and trapped him at that level. Rescue personnel attempted to reach him by ladder but, due to the terrain, the 200-foot distance from the road and the unstable tree sections above them, were unable to do so. A bucket truck from the tree service was then used in the rear yard to allow emergency personnel to access the victim. A firefighter/paramedic was raised using the bucket and pronounced the victim dead.
After an initial investigation, additional resources were brought in, including a crew from another tree service, to extract the victim. Using the bucket truck on site, rescuers cut away the unstable tree sections and lowered the victim to the ground. Approximately 60 personnel aided the effort, according to reports from The Dagger, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.
Woman hits tree service flagger with vehicle
A motorist hit a worker from a tree service August 12, 2011, in Hampden Township, Pennsylvania. Patricia Brode of Mechanicsburg did not follow work signs and traffic directions for a one-lane roadway, then attempted to avoid oncoming vehicles and struck a flagger directing traffic. The impact threw the flagger some distance into the front yard of a neighboring home.
Brode continued driving southbound and avoided colliding with more vehicles before she was stopped by other workers from the service. The flagman was taken to Hershey Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to WHTM-TV, ABC channel 27 in Harrisburg.
Trimmer shocked by power line
A tree trimmer was injured when he was shocked by a power line August 12, 2011, in Swissvale, Pennsylvania. A witness reported a line was lying on the branch the worker was removing and when he let go of the branch, he was jolted. His saw hit the wire and he jumped and sparks came out, according to a witness. Once down from the tree he sat down and started shaking, the witness said. The man complained of chest pains, but was listed in good condition at a hospital, according to WPXI/Pittsburgh.com.
Man dies after fall from ladder
A 53-year-old Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, man died Aug. 14, 2011, from injuries he sustained when he fell from a ladder. Kevin K. Anderson was on a ladder using a chain saw to cut a limb off a tree when he fell just. His wife called 911 and said Anderson wasn’t breathing.
Two Grand Rapids officers responded to the scene, along with emergency medical workers, who administered first aid and transported him to the local fire department, where authorities had set up a landing zone for a medical helicopter. Medical personnel declared Anderson dead in the ambulance before they got him to the helicopter, according to The Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Boy, 16, killed in construction zone project
Damon Springer, 16, was working for his family’s tree trimming business August 15, 2011, in Osgood, Ohio, when his father and owner of the company, James Springer, 48, accidentally backed over him with a Bobcat loader.
The accident happened in a construction zone where the community is getting a new sewer system. The Springers were taking a tree down at the time of the incident, according to WHIO-TV in Dayton.
Trimmer pinned in tree
A tree trimmer was hurt after a limb snapped and pinned his leg while about 20 feet up in a tree Aug 15, 2011, in Knoxville, Tennessee. The worker was cutting a limb that was hanging over the road, and the limb kicked back on him and pinned his leg between the base of the tree and the broken part of the limb. When it came down to it, the man saved himself by sawing the limb away and lowering himself down to the ground. But he was hurt, possibly suffering a broken leg, according to the WBIR TV-10 report.
Climber killed by cut limb
A 26-year-old tree service worker from Watkinsville, Georgia, was killed Aug. 17, 2011, while cutting down a tree in Danielsville, in Madison County, Ga.
Christopher Welch was in the tree in a private yard when he became pinned by part of the tree while he was cutting it down. A fellow worker in a crane tried to free Welch, but he died at the scene, according to an Athens Banner-Herald report.
Motorist injured after striking trim trucks
A Trenton, North Carolina, woman was airlifted from an accident scene after she drifted across the center line and hit two tree-trimming trucks Aug 18, 2011, in Richlands, N.C.
Shana Philyaw, 26, was driving on Comfort Highway at 6:35 a.m. when sideswiped one truck and directly hit the other. Philyaw’s car was totaled. The tree trucks had to be towed away.
Three men from one of the trucks were taken to Onslow Memorial Hospital for treatment, according to the WITN-TV report.
Man falls 30 feet from bucket
A bucket truck operator in Glen Cove, New York, fell about 30 feet August 22, 2011, when the lift bucket dropped to the ground.
Melvin Villalobos of Locust Valley was airlifted to North Shore Manhasset Hospital following the accident. Though he appeared incoherent at the scene, his injuries did not appear serious, it was later determined.
Villalobos, who works for a tree service, was reportedly pruning trees when the piston, or arm of the bucket, broke, sending him to the ground while still inside the bucket, according to a www.patch.org report.
Man dies in fall while trimming
A Crab Orchard, Tennessee, man died August 24, 2011, when he apparently fell from a tree he was trimming.
Tommy Lawrence Brady, 66, often trimmed trees and was seen working in a tree, cutting limbs with a chain saw, by himself. A short time later the same witness found the victim lying on the ground.
Emergency personnel and the sheriff's department responded to the call but efforts to revive the victim were not successful, according to the Crossville Chronicle.
Palm trimmer falls to his death
A Riverside, California, man was killed August 25, 2011, when he fell about 50 feet to the ground while trimming palms in Grand Terrace.
Jeffrey Kenney, 56, was contracted to trim the palms.
His safety rope apparently became unfastened, causing him to fall to the ground. Kenney was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead about an hour later, according to The Press-Enterprise.
Man dies in chain saw incident
Neil Kruschke Jr., 44, died in a chain saw accident in Michigan August 26, 2011.
Kruschke, of Chagrin Falls, Mich., was found dead after he apparently slipped and cut himself while using a chain saw to clear trees from a camp in Republic Township, according to the Mining Journal of Marquette, Mich., and www.solon.patch.com. He was found later by an employee of the local gas company.
Submitted by Bill Weber of Arborwear LLC in Newbury, Ohio.
Four tree deaths linked to Hurricane Irene in Virginia
A King William, Virginia, man died August 27, 2011, when he was struck by a falling tree while cutting down another tree on his property, damaged by Hurricane Irene. Further details were not immediately available, according to Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Also, Daniel Eaves, 60, of Chesterfield, Va., died when a tree fell onto a house also on August 27.
In Brunswick, Va., a 67-year-old passenger in a vehicle died after the top of a tree snapped off, landed on the car and crushed its roof on August 27. James Blackwell, of Broadnax, died at the scene. The driver, Herbert Wayne, was transported to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening. They were traveling in a 1999 Honda Accord when the incident occurred. The vehicle traveled about 70 feet into a ditch after the tree struck it.
An 11-year-old boy lying on a bed was killed, but his mother, who was next to him, was spared August 27 when a tree fell through their two-story apartment building in southern Newport News, Va. First responders rescued the woman from the upstairs bedroom, and learned the child was missing. After a search, fire rescue crews found the child pinned under the large tree. A crane was brought in to allow medics to get to the child, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Man injured while clearing felled tree
A Bedford, New Hampshire, man was injured August 28, 2011, when a tree fell on him while he was attempting to remove another fallen tree from the road. A tree fell on the right leg of the man, who was trying to clear damage caused by Hurricane Irene.
The extent of the injuries was unclear, but they were not life threatening, according to the nh.patch.com report.
Man seriously injured after fall from tree
A Marlboro, New Jersey, man was hospitalized with serious injuries Aug. 28, 2011, after falling at least 20 feet from a tree at his home. The 48-year-old man was cutting tree limbs damaged by Hurricane Irene when he fell.
He suffered serious back and neck injuries, and was partially conscious when first-aiders responded to his home, according to an Asbury Park Press report.
The man was flown by medevac helicopter to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
Man killed by storm damaged tree
A man died from his injuries after a tree fell on him in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, August 28,, 2011, during the height of Tropical Storm Irene.
Firefighters and emergency personnel were called for a report of trees down on two people. The two men, one about 60 years old and the other about 30 years old, were found entangled in tree debris. The men were removing a fallen tree from the road when a birch tree, about 10 inches in diameter, fell on top of them.
The victims were taken to Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro and later transferred to Boston hospitals. The younger man died from his injuries.
“They thought they were just doing something good and helping out and getting something out of the road, and something tragic like that happened,” said Joe Davis a veteran arborist with Bartlett Tree Service, according to a WMUR-TV report.
“A lot of trees that have fallen that may not have been taken care of yet have a lot of tension,” Davis was quoted as saying. “Wood and things can spring up just by picking them up or trying to cut them yourself.”
Trimmer dies in fall from bucket
A man died after he fell from a bucket truck while trimming trees in Kenton County, Kentucky, August 31, 2011. Lester Grubb, 62, of Independence, was trimming trees when a branch landed on him. That caused him to fall from the bucket, which was about 30-35 feet in the air. Another man who was with Grubb called 911.
Emergency crews pronounced Grubb dead at the scene. Investigators said he was not wearing a safety harness, according to The Kentucky Post.
OSHA Reports, from the October issue of TCI Magazine
The following were reported on the OSHA website in September, and were not previously reported in TCI Magazine’s monthly accident listings:
- An Old Hickory, Tennessee, tree service worker was electrocuted May 23, 2011, after his positioning device came in contact with a 13,200 volt power line. (The report did not say if the worker was injured or killed.)
- A Coats, North Carolina, tree service worker cutting trees June 1, 2011, in 100-degree weather fell unconscious and later died from heat stroke.
- A Gunthersville, Alabama, tree service worker was struck and killed by a falling tree June 6, 2011.
- A Guntersville, Alabama, construction worker was removing a tree June 15, 2011, when he was struck by another tree being moved by a machine. (The report did not say whether the victim was injured or killed, or the type of machine.)
- A Livermore, California, tree service worker was struck by a tree June 27, 2011.
- (The report did not indicate whether the victim was injured or killed.)
- A Durham, North Carolina, tree service worker was struck and killed by a falling dead tree branch while performing a back cut June 27, 2011.
July 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Landscaper electrocuted trimming tree
The owner of a lawn services company was killed July 2, 2011, in Adams County, Colorado, when he came in contact with an electrical wire while trimming trees. Byron Sosa, 26, was trimming tree at a home. As he was coming down from the tree the trimming tool he was using apparently came into contact electrical cables, according to a report by WKDVR Fox 31 in Denver.
He leaves two children and his wife, Anna, who says she will try to keep his business going to support the family, according to the report.
Tree worker rescues pilot from trees
The owner of a local tree service climbed a tree to rescue the pilot of a plane that had crashed in Dodge County, Georgia, July 4, 2011.
Emergency personnel responded to the crash and found the pilot of a small airplane trapped inside the wreckage atop a pine tree about 50 feet off the ground in a pine thicket with heavy undergrowth. Emergency personnel were unsuccessful in reaching the pilot with ladders or bucket trucks due to the off-road location of the crash and the height at which the plane was lodge in the treetop.
Teron Allen, using his ropes and climbing gear, climbed the tree, secured the pilot in a harness and lowered the pilot to waiting paramedics.
The 84-year-old pilot and owner of the ultra light airplane was taken by helicopter directly from the scene and airlifted to a trauma center for evaluation of his injuries. The pilot was taking off from a private air strip on his property when he crashed, according to the DodgeCountyNews.com report.
Trimmer injured as bucket truck tips
A tree trimmer suffered injuries after a bucket truck tipped over July 5, 2011, at a Town of Boston property in Erie County, New York.
James Leatherbarrow, 45, of Concord, was trimming tree branches in the tree service truck about 40 feet in the air when the accident occurred. Leatherbarrow was harnessed to the bucket, so he did not plunge to the ground. He was treated at the scene by volunteer firefighters and taken to Erie County Medical Center. It was unclear what caused the truck to tip over, according to The Buffalo News report.
Trimmer killed by cut tree
A Richwood, Ohio, tree trimmer died July 7, 2011, after he was pinned by a falling tree during a job northeast of Marysville, Ohio. Charles R. Ellis, 64, died after the tree, about 4 feet in diameter, fell on him.
Ellis and one of his employees were trimming trees in a wooded area when the large tree gave them some trouble. The employee walked away to get some additional equipment and heard the tree fall. He found his boss beneath the tree. The employee called 911 from his cell phone, but it took crews several hours to free Ellis. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Girl, 4, killed by tree limb
A 4-year-old girl died July 8, 2011, after she was struck by a tree limb in her yard in Tiffin, Ohio, about 50 miles southeast of Toledo.
Aleigha Russell was approaching a tree where her father, Aaron Russell, was cutting a limb about 2 p.m. The father was cutting down a fairly large limb that apparently twisted and fell in a different direction than he’d planned. The limb, about 26 feet long, struck the girl. She was taken to Mercy Tiffin Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to a report in The Toledo Blade.
Tree worker injured in struck-by
A worker using a chipper for a tree service company was injured in Westport, Connecticut, July 11, 2011, when a piece of wood struck the man in the face. The worker, described as in his 20s, was taken to Norwalk Hospital, according to a www.westportnow.com report.
Man killed by blown down tree
A 38-year-old man died after a tree was knocked over by high winds that accompanied severe thunderstorms in Cutlerville, Michigan, July 11, 2011. The Grand Rapids Press says the man was trapped by the tree, according to a www.lansingstatejournal.com report.
Submitted by Jon Stauffer, owner of Majestic Tree in Dewitt, Michigan.
Man dies while trimming tree
A Carson City, Nevada, man died July 11, 2011, while trimming trees for his lawn care business. Dan Horrigan, 58, was pronounced dead as his body hung from the waist by rigging. Horrigan had secured himself 20 feet in the air to trim a tree. According to a witness, he asked for some Gatorade, complained of thirst and dizziness, then collapsed. When emergency crews arrived, they found Horrigan dead, according to www.nevadaappeal.com.
Man killed pulling stump with truck
An Olalla, Washington, man died July 12, 2011, when the pickup he was using to pull stumps crashed into a big fir tree.
Douglas A. Young, 62, was removing stumps on his property. Witnesses said they heard an engine revving and then a crash. The 20-inch-diameter tree wound up entirely inside the 2001 Chevrolet pickup’s engine compartment. Rope was tied around the trailer hitch. The driver wasn’t wearing a seat belt. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Kitsap Sun report.
Submitted by Doug Cleland of Cleland’s Tree Removal in Port Orchard, Wash.
Man dies cutting storm damaged tree
A Coshocton County, Ohio, man died July 13, 2011, while cutting a tree that had blown down in an earlier wind storm. Billy Leedy, 65, suffered a severe laceration while cutting the tree. He was pronounced dead on the scene, according to a www.whiznews.com report.
Climber survives 50 foot fall
A tree climber survived a 50- to 60-foot fall from a pine tree July 15, 2011, in Gulfport, Mississippi. Billy Brown, 41, was helping a crew remove the large pine with a precarious lean from a derelict property for the city. Brown shimmied up the tree in spiked boots and a safety harness. He was cutting limbs from the top of the old tree and planned to lop it off in sections. He was roping pieces down when his harness apparently failed and he fell to the ground.
Brown lay at the tree’s base, a bone protruding from his left ankle, talking, but apparently in a lot of pain, according to a witness. Emergency responders took him to Memorial Hospital. He had fractured his pelvis and was airlifted to the University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, according to a Sun Herald report.
Man killed helping neighbor fell tree
A Marbury, Maryland, man died July 17, 2011, when a large oak tree he was helping remove from a neighbor’s yard fell on the cab of the excavator he was operating.
Pietro “Pete” Flaim, 29, worked for his fathers general contracting business before starting his own similar business. He was experienced at a number of odd jobs, including tree removal, according to his family, as reported by The Gazette of Gaithersburg, Md.
Man killed by cut tree
A 67-year-old Eagle Rock, Virginia, man was killed in a logging accident July 21, 2011. Claude “Dickie” Dudley, 67, was cutting a tree down in a wooded area when a nearby tree split near the base and fell on Dudley’s upper body.
Dudley’s brother called 911 and emergency workers found Dudley dead. A preliminary investigation shows the tree Dudley was cutting became entangled with three other trees. He tried to cut the entanglement loose, and the nearby tree fell on him, according to The Roanoke Times.
Man injured by cut tree
A Readmond Township, Michigan, man was transported to a Readmond Township hospital July 25, 2011, after a tree he had been cutting fell on him. The beech tree’s trunk had a diameter of about 12 inches. There was no information available on the nature of the injuries suffered, according to a Petoskey News-Review report.
Trimmer trapped by equipment
Emergency crews had to be called out Jul 27, 2011, following an accident involving a tree trimmer in Louisville, Kentucky. A worker was somehow trapped between his equipment and a tree. There was no information on injuries, according to the WAVE Channel 3 report.
Tree Company owner dies on job
The owner of a local tree-trimming company died July 28, 2011, in Moberly, Missouri, after an accident on the job.
Russell Coonce, 65, of Moberly owned and operated a tree services company for 40 years. He died as a result of injuries he sustained during the accident, which was only described as work-related, according to a centralmoinfo.com report.
The accident occurred at a Moberly residence, according to the Moberly Monitor-Index.
June 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man inured cutting tree
A Colbert County, Alabama, man was injured June 1, 2011, while trying to cut a tree in Tuscumbia. Rodney Glenn Flack, 42, of Tuscumbia, was flown to Huntsville Hospital by Air Evac after a tree hit him in the head and knocked him to the street.
Flack was working with his brother cutting a large limb when a section of the tree, 25-30 feet long and 4-5 feet around, snapped. When the limb started falling, Flack apparently tried to run out of the way but was hit before he could get clear. The limb fell across some utility lines, but knocked him to the ground pinning him for a few seconds before the lines pulled the tree back off him. Flack was conscious and talking immediately after the accident, and was listed in fair condition, according to The Times Daily.
Man killed in a tree cutting accident
A 48-year-old Alabama man died one day after being injured while cutting a storm-damaged tree in Ligon Springs, Alabama, June 1, 2011. Stanley Jones of Russellville was attempting to cut a tree at the residence in Ligon Springs and it fell across his chest, pinning him to the ground. Firefighters had to remove the tree and begin medical treatment prior to his being flown to Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, apparently in critical condition.
It appeared Jones was at the residence to cut down a tree damaged in the recent storms, according to The Times Daily. Jones and his family used to live at the residence where the accident occurred and were trying to get it ready to sell, according to an NBC Channel 13 report.
Tree trimmer electrocuted
A Daytona Beach, Florida, man working with his family’s tree-trimming crew was electrocuted June 2, 2011, as he tried to free a stray palm frond stuck in a power line in Ormond Beach.
Damian R. Mays, 36, had worked at one of two family-run tree trimming companies for the past five years. He was part of a crew from the two companies trimming palms at a home when the accident occurred. No one actually saw the electrocution, but co-workers heard Mays yell and the chain saw that Mays was using fell to the ground. The men ran to the tree, where one said he could hear a loud electric current. Mays was limp, hanging from the tree in his harness. The crew couldn’t reach Mays at first, but they quickly fetched a ladder, freed him from the harness and carried him to the ground.
When police arrived, Mays’ fellow crewmembers had already managed to get him down from a 12- to 15-foot-tall tree. The crew said he wasn’t responsive any time after the electrical shock. He was pronounced dead about an hour later at Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center.
Co-workers weren’t even sure why Mays was in the tree, which had already been trimmed. On Mays’ feet were metal climbing spikes, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Tree truck crash kills one
A fiery accident involving a tree service truck in Bastrop County, Texas, June 2, 2011, left one man dead and sent two others to the hospital. Three men in a tree trimming truck were traveling eastbound on Highway 290 near McDade, south of Elgin, when the driver lost control of the truck, overcorrected and slammed the truck into a ditch. The truck then caught on fire.
The driver died on scene and the passenger seated in the middle was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge burns to 80 percent of his body. The other passenger was able to get out of the vehicle with only minor injuries, according to a KXAN Austin News report.
Contributed by Miles J. Lefler, owner of Sunrise Tree Services in Austin, Texas.
84-year-old killed by cut tree
An 84-year-old Chautauqua County, New York, man died after a tree he was cutting fell on top of him June 2, 2011.
Frederick Hannum of Mayville was trying to cut up a tree that had been uprooted on his property in the woods near his home. When he walked behind the stump/root portion of the tree, it fell down on top of him. Crews arrived at the scene to rescue him, but say he was deceased, according to the WIVB/WNLO-TV report. The Town of Chautauqua Highway Department helped in the recovery of Hannum’s body by bringing in heavy equipment.
Climber dies after fall from tree
Robert Jasmin, 45, of Amenia, New York, died June 6, 2011, after falling 40 feet from a tree he was cutting. Jasmin, who was working for a local tree service company, climbed the tree using ropes at the Pine Plains property. He was cutting a limb when it fell toward him, causing him to move out of the way. His rope knot slipped as a result, according to a sheriff’s report, and he fell about 40 feet to the ground.
Jasmin went into cardiac arrest en route to Saint Francis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead a short time later, according to the Poughkeepsie Journal.
Contributed by David R. Hayner, owner, Dave Hayner & Associates, Ltd., Pawling, New York.
Man killed by rolling tree
A Madison County, Missouri, man died in Dorsey, Illinois, while taking down a tree June 12, 2011. Tom Dean, 67, and a friend were cutting a tree down on Dean’s property. They had dug around the tree when the tree fell on a utility vehicle. Dean was attempting to remove the tree from the vehicle and slipped. The tree rolled over on Dean causing his death, according to a KMOV-TV report.
Trimmer cut by chain saw dies
A 50-year-old tree trimmer died June 14, 2011, in Stockton, California, after he was severely cut under his armpit with his own chain saw. Stockton fire crews took the injured tree trimmer to a hospital where he died from his wounds, according to a KCRA Channel 3 report.
Climber knocked out, rescued at 80 feet
A climber was knocked out at 80 feet June 14, 2011, in North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, when he was hit by a big branch. A four-man crew was cutting large trees at the property. Using ropes, the workers were lowering the cut branches. The wind caught one and blew it into the climber, who was tied in, knocking him unconscious. Firefighters came to the rescue with an aerial truck and basket, according to The Morning Call.
Logger dies in struck-by
A logger died June 15, 2011, in Nelson, New York, apparently when a branch fell on him. Brett K. Armstrong, 36, of Nelson, was logging with permission across the street from his own property. The accident was discovered by the owner of the property, who had gone to check on Armstrong because it was getting late. Armstrong was declared dead at the scene.
Investigators believe Armstrong was downing a tree and that one of its branches got caught in another tree. A 15-inch-diameter branch from the second tree fell as a result and appeared to have hit Armstrong.
Armstrong was a professional logger and was wearing safety gear, according to The Post-Standard report.
Man killed by cut tree
A Torrington, Connecticut, man who worked for Litchfield’s public works department and was just about to retire was killed June 16, 2011, in a tree-cutting accident at a Litchfield residence. Peter Beyer, 54, was pronounced dead at the scene after being pinned beneath a large-diameter tree that fell while he was cutting it.
Beyer had completed his work for the town the previous week and was using vacation time leading up to his retirement date the following week, according to the Republican-American.
Trimmer rescued from broken bucket
A tree service owner was stuck 55 feet off the ground June 16, 2011, in Coshocton, Ohio, after the hydraulic system used to lift his boom bucket failed.
Joe Ames was trimming a 60-foot tall maple in a backyard when something caused the hydraulics on the lift to malfunction. Ames patiently waited to be retrieved from his bucket by firefighters. A firefighter rode the department’s bucket up alongside Ames, then helped him out of the boom bucket, according to the Coshocton Tribune.
Tree falls on man pulling it down with ATV
A 62-year-old man was injured when a tree he was attempting to pull down with an ATV fell on him June 18, 2011, in Holland Township, New Jersey.
The man was attempting to take down a tree at his residence when it fell quicker than he expected and struck him. The man, who was not identified, sustained injuries to his left arm and left leg and was flown to St. Lukes Hospital in Bethlehem, Pa.
Police could not confirm the severity of his injuries, but the man was conscious the entire time emergency officials were at the scene, according to The Star-Ledger.
Man killed by felled tree
A Richmond, New Hampshire, man died June 19, 2011, when a tree he was cutting at his home struck him. Aram Gurian, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene. The tree was a large hemlock, about 2 feet in diameter, according to The Keene Sentinel.
Gurian had experience cutting down trees and had planned how he would remove this one, a neighbor told WMUR TV, adding that Gurian apparently didn’t anticipate how quickly this tree would come down, and it caught him in the upper branches. The trunk then came down on top of him. The trunk that pinned him lengthwise was so big that all his friends could do was call for help and wait.
Man killed using excavator to fell tree
A Lacona, New York, man was killed in Sackets Harbor June 20, 2011, when he was pinned in an excavator by an uprooted tree. Kenneth Bush, 47, was using an excavator to cut and pull trees at the eastern end of Madison Barracks, a former military facility and now a residential community. A 40-foot-tall tree followed the arm of the excavator and slid down onto the cab. Bush was pinned inside the cab for seven to 10 minutes before emergency responders cut off the roof with a hydraulic tool.
He was unconscious and unresponsive when rescuers reached him, according to the Watertown Daily Times. He was pronounced dead at Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown.
Contributed by Brian Skinner, senior arborist, National Grid-Central Division, Syracuse, N.Y.
Trimmer injured by 13,000 volts
A tree trimmer was hit with 13,000 volts of electricity when a branch fell across electric utility feeder line June 21, 2011, in Vineland, New Jersey.
The private contractor was cutting down a tree in the front yard of a home when a severed tree limb struck the line. The branch carried the electricity back to the contractor who was standing atop an aluminum ladder.
The injured worker was taken to the South Jersey Healthcare Regional Medical Center. His name and condition were not immediately available.
The incident knocked out power to about 1,500 customers. Another crew from the company cut back the tree to ensure the safety of the situation, according to The Daily Journal.
Two injured when bucket truck tips
A man using a bucket truck to remove a tree in South Bend Indiana June 23, 2011, and his nephew were injured when the truck tipped over.
Rick Franklin, who works with a local tree service, was removing tree limbs at a home when the truck tipped over. Franklin and Nate Maxson, his 8-year-old nephew who was also in the bucket at the time, were both injured.
Maxson was treated and released from the hospital. Franklin, the truck operator, was in fair condition.
The company apparently was not licensed to work in South Bend, or had its license revoked, and had previously been investigated by city officials, according to the WSBT-TV report.
Electrocution claims trimmer
A Monte Vista, Colorado-area man died June 27, 2011, while trimming trees in Saguache, Colo., when the arm of his tree-trimming device came into contact with an electrical line.
Jerod Chisholm, 25, was found unconscious in the bucket. Chisholm’s partner Francisco Delgado, 64, of Del Norte was alert, but also appeared to have been electrocuted.
It appeared that the line slid underneath the bucket and then came into the contact with the arm. Responders told Delgado to stay still inside the bucket until the electric company responded to cut power, as the arm still was only about an inch from the line.
Once power was off, the bucket was lowered. Paramedics took both men to the football field at Mountain Valley School where they performed CPR on Chisholm. The responding Air Life physician pronounced Chisholm dead at the scene. Delgado, who apparently did not appear to be seriously injured, was transported to Memorial Hospital for observation, according to the Valley Courier.
May 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man cuts friend with chain saw
A man was severely cut by a chain saw May 2, 2011, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, while helping a friend clear damage from storms.
Jona Daniel was helping a friend clear trees from his property and was holding the ladder while his friend cut up a tree with a chain saw. A heavy limb fell from the tree and Daniel’s friend jumped off the ladder to avoid being hit. As he did, the running chain saw hit Daniel, cutting him severely.
Emergency responders found Daniel conscious but bleeding heavily from lacerations to the side and back of his head and wrist. Emergency personnel were able to get to Daniel quickly enough to bandage his cuts and transport him to a local hospital for treatment.
Witnesses told responders that the tree limb could have critically injured both men, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Chain saw results in minor injuries
A man avoided serious injury from a chain saw mishap May 7, 2011, in southern Shawnee County, Kansas, when the chain saw he was using to cut down a tree kicked back, striking him above one of his eyes and in his stomach. The 59-year-old man was transported to St. Francis Health Center where it was expected he would be stitched up and released, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal report.
Man rescued after trimming accident
A man was rescued from a tree May 8, 2011, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, after his hand was impaled by a branch, stranding him approximately 30 feet above the ground.
The man was attempting to trim a tree when a branch broke and pinned his hand between the branch and the trunk of the tree. The unusual rescue scene found the man near the top of his ladder, which was perched on top of an overturned shopping cart.
Firemen positioned a “cherry picker” below the man as they eased a harness around his body. Then the man was lowered into the bucket of the machine and back down to the ground. The man, who appeared to be in his 60s, suffered “severe damage” to his hand, according to a report in The Boston Globe.
Woman injured by cut limb
A cut tree branch knocked a woman to the pavement, seriously injuring her in Lexington, Kentucky, May 10, 2011. Neighbors say Shirley Powell was holding the ladder her husband was standing on to trim a tree branch caught in a power line. The large limb fell, spinning her around and knocking her face-first into the concrete.
A witness said the man asked his wife to hold the ladder, then he went up on the ladder to saw, and when he did the limb bounced off the ladder, hit her and flung her down. The woman was not breathing, and there was blood everywhere, the witness said.
Neighbors performed CPR until firefighters arrived. EMS transported Powell to the local hospital. There was no word on Powell’s condition the next morning, according to www.lex18.com/NBC channel 18.
Man killed by felled tree
A man cutting trees in Hutchinson, Kansas, was killed May 10, 2011, when a large tree fell on him. Joseph T. Fredrick, 46, of Hutchinson, had been sent out by a job service center as a temporary worker to cut the trees behind a commercial building. He cut down a large tree, which fell in a different way than Fredrick had anticipated. The tree fell across his back, killing him instantly, according to KAKE News.
Man pinned under tree, killed.
A man was pinned under a tree May 12, 2011, while taking down trees at a home in Oak Grove, Minnesota. David Pollema, was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital with serious injuries, according to a report in the Star Tribune.
Pollema was hired by the homeowner to clear trees and was taking down a particularly large tree in sections when it bounced back at him, according to the homeowner, who added that there had been a hollow section of the tree that no one knew about.
Pollema was flown to Hennepin County Medical Center where he later died.
Trimmer dies after nearly 30-foot fall
A Louisville, Missouri-area tree service owner died May 12, 2011, after the bucket from his truck fell about 30 feet with him in it in North Canton, Mo. Paul Schneider, 61, was pronounced dead at Aultman Hospital the same day.
Schneider was trimming a tree in an old bucket truck about two or three stories off the ground when the hydraulic cylinder came lose and let the bucket fall to the ground. Massive internal injuries were listed as the preliminary cause of death, according to The Repository.
Man dies after cut tree strikes bucket
An Enterprise, Alabama, man was killed May 13, 2011, in Enterprise when his aerial lift bucket was struck by a tree he was trimming.
Lee Harrison, 43, was trimming a tree when the top portion of the tree fell and directly hit the bucket in which he was standing. The impact caused the bucket to dislodge from the truck. Harrison fell about 60 feet and hit the truck below. He was flown to a Dothan, Ala., hospital by helicopter where he later died, according to a report in The Southeast Sun.
Contributed by Jennifer Brouillard of Dave’s Tree Service in Enterprise, Ala., and a friend of Harrison’s.
Drunk driver strikes officer on tree detail
A police officer providing traffic control for a tree trimming crew was struck by a drunk driver and inured May 13, 2011, in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Officer Jonathan Delaney was in a marked police vehicle positioned on the shoulder of the roadway behind several aerial lift trucks that were trimming the trees along power lines on Route 46 when a vehicle driven by Alfonso Burgos, 62, of Wharton, collided with the cruiser. Burgos was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Officer Delaney was treated and released at Saint Clare’s Hospital for minor injuries, according to The Record.
Truck boom collapses, injuring worker
An aerial lift truck’s boom broke in Manor Township, Lancaster County, May 16, 2011, sending a man to the ground and then to the hospital.
The worker was trimming a tree that had been struck by lightning. The boom on the bucket truck “snapped,” according to the WGAL Channel 8 report. The worker fell and hit his head on a driveway.
Man hurt when cut tree falls on him
A man on a tree-trimming crew was injured May 19, 2011, in Glen Carbon, Illinois, when a tree fell on him. The others in the crew had the man released from under the tree by the time firefighters arrived at the scene. The man complained of pain and was taken to Anderson Hospital in Maryville for treatment. He was not transported to a trauma center in St. Louis, as is usual in cases of serious injury, according to a report in The Telegraph.
Man pinned by cut branch
A man trimming trees had his foot pinned by a large cut tree branch May 19, 2011, in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. The man’s foot was pinned against a ladder by a large branch.
The man was in pain and remained pinned 30 to 45 minutes after the branch fell. Rescue crews from local fire departments used a winch to lift the branch, according to the Sheboygan Press website report.
Climber pinned, injured by split tree
A 31-year-old man was taken to a hospital in South Lake Tahoe, California, with minor injuries May 20, 2011, after a section of tree being cut approximately 100 feet above ground splintered and fell, causing the victim to be pinned against the tree with his harness. The accident happened during a commercial tree service operation and the section of tree that splintered weighed more than 900 pounds, according to a Tahoe Daily Tribune report.
Man injured cutting tree
A man was injured while cutting down a tree May 20, 2011, in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The man was in a harness up in the tree when the trunk of the tree split, striking him in the torso area. The man had minor injuries, and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital as a precaution, according to the WPRI report.
Manville woman killed by tree limb
A Manville, Rhode Island, woman died May 20, 2011, when a tree limb being cut by her husband struck her in the head, apparently killing her instantly. The man had asked his wife to hold a rope attached to a limb so that, once it was cut, she could lower it to the ground gently. The weight of the branch pulled her forward and into it.
Responding police performed CPR on the victim, who was in her mid-40s. Rescue workers then took her to Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, where she was pronounced dead. The death may have been caused by a broken neck, according to an unidentified emergency responder at the scene, according to The Times of Pawtucket.
Cut tree kills man
Police responded to a report of a tree falling on a man May 22, 2011, in Orchard Park, New York. Todd Mansfield, 43, of Buffalo, was found under a very large tree that he and friends had been cutting down. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WKBW News, Channel 7.
Trimmer electrocuted
A man working for a professional tree service was electrocuted May 23, 2011, in Bellevue, Tennessee, when he came into contact with a power line. Russell Culver, 45, was transported to St. Thomas Hospital where he died. Culver was tied to a tree when a metal clip from his gear came into contact with the power line, according to a newschannel5.com report.
The man was in pain and remained pinned 30 to 45 minutes after the branch fell. Rescue crews from local fire departments used a winch to lift the branch, according to the Sheboygan Press website report.
Climber pinned, injured by split tree
A 31-year-old man was taken to a hospital in South Lake Tahoe, California, with minor injuries May 20, 2011, after a section of tree being cut approximately 100 feet above ground splintered and fell, causing the victim to be pinned against the tree with his harness. The accident happened during a commercial tree service operation and the section of tree that splintered weighed more than 900 pounds, according to a Tahoe Daily Tribune report.
Man injured cutting tree
A man was injured while cutting down a tree May 20, 2011, in Cumberland, Rhode Island. The man was in a harness up in the tree when the trunk of the tree split, striking him in the torso area. The man had minor injuries, and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital as a precaution, according to the WPRI report.
Manville woman killed by tree limb
A Manville, Rhode Island, woman died May 20, 2011, when a tree limb being cut by her husband struck her in the head, apparently killing her instantly. The man had asked his wife to hold a rope attached to a limb so that, once it was cut, she could lower it to the ground gently. The weight of the branch pulled her forward and into it.
Responding police performed CPR on the victim, who was in her mid-40s. Rescue workers then took her to Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, where she was pronounced dead. The death may have been caused by a broken neck, according to an unidentified emergency responder at the scene, according to The Times of Pawtucket.
Cut tree kills man
Police responded to a report of a tree falling on a man May 22, 2011, in Orchard Park, New York. Todd Mansfield, 43, of Buffalo, was found under a very large tree that he and friends had been cutting down. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WKBW News, Channel 7.
Trimmer electrocuted
A man working for a professional tree service was electrocuted May 23, 2011, in Bellevue, Tennessee, when he came into contact with a power line. Russell Culver, 45, was transported to St. Thomas Hospital where he died. Culver was tied to a tree when a metal clip from his gear came into contact with the power line, according to a newschannel5.com report.
Man electrocuted trimming tree
A man trimming a tree in a Madison Township, Michigan, subdivision was electrocuted May 23, 2011.
Michael Augostino, 46, of Blissfield was in the top of a tree when a small limb touched a power line. Consumers Energy workers had to cut power to the line that the tree had touched before firefighters could use an aerial truck to remove Augostino from the tree. Augostino was determined to be dead after firefighters got him to the ground.
Augostino was the owner of a tree trimming and stump removal business and had 20 years experience trimming trees, according to a report in The Daily Telegram.
Trimmer struck by lightning
A tree trimmer was taken to the hospital after being struck by lightning May 25, 2011, in Liberty Township Ohio. According to a co-worker, the man was up in a tree when there was a loud clap of thunder and a lightning strike. The victim apparently blacked out for second, but was able to get himself down from the tree. He was taken to the hospital complaining of a numb left arm.
Two other men on the job – one who was holding a rope and another who was near the wood chipper – were not injured. All of the men involved are employed a local tree service company.
It was lightly raining when the strike happened. An isolated thunderstorm cell moved through the area, causing the lightning strike, according to a fox19.com report.
Man dies cutting neighbor’s tree
A man helping his neighbor cut tree limbs in Bethlehem, New York, died May 27, 2011, after he fell off a ladder onto a tree stump below.
Keith Kiernan, 46, of Bethlehem, fell about 14 feet while using a chain saw to cut limbs at a house across the street from his own. Kiernan suffered internal injuries in his chest after falling on the stump, and was pronounced dead at Albany Medical Center Hospital a short time later, according to the Times Union report.
Teen killed by felled tree
A teen-ager was killed May 26, 2011, in Mableton, Georgia, when a large oak he was felling landed on him.
Alonzo Terry Daniel, 19, was clearing storm debris with his 11-year-old nephew in his family’s front yard when the large oak tree fell on him and trapped him. Fire personnel used chain saws to extricate Daniel, and he was taken by ambulance to WellStar Cobb Hospital in Austell, where he died from his injuries.
Daniel’s mother apparently saw the entire incident from her front steps. A witness said the boy was able to talk right after the accident, but his legs were trapped and both of them were broken, according to The Marietta Daily Journal
Man killed unloading logs
Howard H. Headdy, 62, Ellettsville, Indiana, died May 30, 2011, at Bloomington Hospital in Bloomington, Ind., several days after being injured while unloading a log from a truck.
Headdy, the owner of a tree care company, was using a front-end loader or skid steer to remove a tree log from a truck. The log was too heavy or unbalanced, causing the machine to pitch forward. The log then fell off, causing the machine to pitch back. The man apparently suffered broken neck.
He was paralyzed from the neck down and hospitalized several days before succumbing to complications related to his injuries from the accident.
Submitted by Mark Adams, owner of Adams Arbor Care, LLC in Bloomington, Indiana.
April 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man injured by felled tree
A 72-year-old man using a chain saw to cut down a tree April 8, 2011, in Estacada, Oregon, suffered a head injury when the tree fell on to him. A LifeFlight helicopter rushed him to a hospital.
The man was trying to cut down a tree that was 12 inches in diameter when it fell on to him. He managed to crawl to his tractor and drive back to his home, where his wife called 911. The severity of the man’s injuries was not immediately known, according to KPTV Fox 12.
Man killed by felled tree
Christian J. Bargetzi, 75, died April 8, 2011, in Highland, Illinois, from injuries he suffered when a tree he and another man were cutting down fell on him and pinned him against a tractor.
The men were cutting a tree using a tractor to support the tree while they were cutting it down. Bargetzi was on the tractor while the other man cut the tree. The tree fell on Bargetzi and pinned him to the tractor.
A Madison County Sheriff’s deputy and emergency personnel were able to remove the tree from the victim and he was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland, where he died from his injuries, according to the Belleville News-Democrat.
Firefighters rescue trimmer from collapsed palm fronds
A man attempting to trim an 80-foot-tall palm April 9, 2011, in Visalia, California, was rescued by firefighters after collapsing palm fronds trapped him about 50 feet up. The man was transported to Kaweah Delta Medical Center with undisclosed injuries.
Witnesses said the man was hanging upside down and could not breathe under the weight of the fronds. Some of the fronds slightly damaged the home under them. A man identifying himself as the brother of the stranded tree-trimmer said that windy conditions contributed to the incident, according to the Visalia Times-Delta report.
Tree trimmer killed when saw hits line
A western Pennsylvania tree trimmer died April 11, 2011, after his pole saw cut into a high-voltage power line in Chartiers Township.
Dale Delozier, 46, who operated a local tree service, was hired to trim a tree and was in a bucket truck when his pole saw hit the power line. A local coroner was quoted as saying the victim might not have even realized the power line went through the tree.
A neighbor saw what happened and alerted another worker who lowered the bucket Delozier was in to the ground. The victim was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Canonsburg General Hospital, according to a www.abc27.com report.
Submitted by Roxane Stewart of TCIA-member Carlson Tree & Landscape in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.
Tree worker killed by rolling truck
A Platte County, Missouri, employee doing tree-trimming work was killed April 11, 2011, when an unoccupied vehicle rolled downhill and struck the victim before hitting a second vehicle. Justin R. Hartman, 30, of Dearborn, Mo., was pronounced dead at the scene. He was an employee of the Platte County Public Works Department, according to the www.fox4kc.com report.
Two injured in tree cutting accident
Two men were injured when they were hit by a felled tree near Cataract, Wisconsin, April 12, 2011. After one man cut the tree, it hit the other two men as it fell.
Alan McCoy, 70, of Sparta, suffered a broken femur and leg injuries. He was taken from the scene by Medlink Air to a La Crosse hospital. Jeff Hansen, 37, also of Sparta, received head injuries. Rescuers had to use an ATV to help bring him out of the woods to a waiting ambulance. He was taken to a Sparta hospital.
None of the injuries were considered life threatening, according to a WXOW Channel 19 report.
Tree fells man bringing it down
A tree care company employee was injured April 16, 2011, in Lakewood, Colorado, after a 30-inch-diameter tree he was taking down fell the wrong way, injuring him and damaging a house. Calvin Ryberg, 51, suffered a fractured pelvis and both his ankles were broken.
Ryberg had put a notch on the street side of the large tree so that when it fell it would go away from him. But rot on the opposite side of the tree weakened the tree and caused it to topple on top of him. His torso and thighs were pinned beneath the tree. Neighbors used equipment to try to lift the tree off of him, but were unable to do so. When firefighters arrived, they gave Ryberg medications. He was still conscious and spoke to firefighters.
The firefighters cut parts of the tree before jamming air bags, which are normally used to lift vehicles, beneath the tree and lifted it up enough to pull him out.
Within days of the incident, Ryberg had already undergone extensive surgery and it appeared he was going to have more, according a report in The Denver Post.
Man dies after 10-foot fall from ladder
Ronald Tolliver, 70, of Lily, Kentucky, was injured April 19, 2011, after falling from a tree in London, Ky.
Tolliver was in the process of trimming a large tree with a small chain saw when one of the branches split, striking Tolliver, knocking him off his supporting ladder. He fell approximately 10 feet to the ground.
Tolliver was given CPR by emergency personnel, then taken to a local hospital and later flown to University of Kentucky Medical Center. Tolliver died the next day from blunt force injuries due to his fall, according to a report in The Sentinel Echo.
Man electrocuted, killed trimming tree
A man using a chain saw to trim the tree in a neighbor’s front yard was electrocuted and killed April 19, 2011, in Monrovia, California, after coming into contact with a power line. Roque Valdez, 47, of Monrovia, died while cutting branches off the tree. Differing accounts emerged from officials as to how Valdez was killed. One deputy said the chain saw made contact with the power line, while another said the power line was struck by a tree branch.
Valdez was still in the tree, hanging upside down 30 feet in the air, when rescuers arrived, according to City News Service. Power had to be cut to the area in order to retrieve his body, according to a Monrovia Patch report.
Climber electrocuted, injured
A 26-year-old father of two was hospitalized in serious condition after being shocked by a power line and falling from a tree April 21, 2011, in Peardale, California.
Brandon Kuhner-Barsnik, who was working for a tree care company as part of a crew trimming trees at the time of the incident, was about 30-35 feet up in a tree adjacent to a power line. He released his slip line, or lanyard, to negotiate an obstacle, and the slip line made contact with the power line, jolting Kuhner-Barsnik out of the tree and causing him to fall to the ground.
Kuhner-Barsnik was complaining of a lack of sensation in his legs, after the incident and was transported via ambulance to a highway where he was then air-lifted by helicopter to the medical center.
The father of two young children had back surgery the next day, but his prognosis was not immediately known. Members of the tree service’s crew were establishing a fund to help out with his expenses, according to a report in The Union.
Man rescued from palm fronds
Fire crews rescued a man who got stuck trimming a palm April 23, 2011, in Mesa, Arizona. The 40-year-old man was trapped 40 to 50 feet up under a skirt of dead fronds. Fire technical rescue teams successfully brought him down in a ladder, according to a KSAZ Fox 10 report. The man was conscious and was transported to a local medical center for evaluation, according to a www.abc15.com report.
Man killed when tree shifts
A road crew worker was killed April 27, 2011, in Yazoo County, Mississippi, while he removing a tree from a roadway after storms moved through the area. Charles “Harold” Coker, 48, of Yazoo City died as he was cutting a large limb off a tree. The tree’s weight shifted and a portion separated from the tree, striking Coker in the head and killing him, according to The Clarion Ledger.
Tree falls on minivan, kills woman, child
A woman and her 11-year-old daughter died April 27, 2011, in Marshall, Michigan, when their minivan was crushed by a falling tree. The woman’s 13-year-old daughter, also in the vehicle, was flown by medical helicopter to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo for treatment of serious injuries.
Jodi Kohn, Erica Kohn, 11, and Larissa Kohn, 13, were en route to a restaurant when an oak tree crashed onto the vehicle, crushing the passenger compartment. The tree, estimated at 75 years old, blocked the roadway after falling onto the minivan.
A portion of the tree was apparently hollow, but the tree was budding and still alive. There was little or no wind at the time of the accident, according to reports in the Battle Creek Enquirer and on www.lansingstatejournal.com.
Submitted by Jon Stauffer of Majestic Tree in Dewitt, Michigan.
Tree worker hurt when bucket truck tips
A tree worker clearing power lines along a road in Weare, New Hampshire, April 29, 2011, was thrown to the ground after the bucket truck he was working from tipped over. The side of the road appeared to give way under the outrigger, causing the truck to tilt. The bucket holding the worker fell, dropping the man about 60 feet.
The worker was conscious and alert, and though he appeared to have several broken bones, his injuries did not appear to be too serious, according to an investigator.
The accident cut power to more than 2,000 customers in the area. A man in another bucket was trapped in the bucket for a short time by the downed power lines, according to a WMUR Channel 9 report.
Man struck by cut tree crawls for help
A 64-year-old man crawled about 30 yards through a swampy area to seek help April 29, 2011, in Rives Township, Michigan, after he was seriously injured by what was probably a falling tree limb.
Gary Slusser, was cutting trees on his property when he was struck by a falling limb or part of the tree. Slusser was conscious and crawled about 30 yards through the swamp before his wife, Monika, found him and called 911. He was flown to Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, where he was in good condition that evening, according to a report in The Jackson Citizen Patriot.
Man injured by felled tree
A man was seriously injured April 30, 2011, in Glenmoor, Ohio, when a tree he was helping cut down fell on him.
The 40-year-old man was among those helping a resident cut down the large tree. Part of the trunk fell across the man’s chest and legs, pinning him underneath. Firefighters helped remove the tree and move the victim onto a backboard to be taken to a waiting ambulance.
After initial treatment, the man was flown to a medical center by helicopter with potentially serious injuries, including a possible collapsed lung and aorta tear.
Another man reportedly was struck in the head by a branch but declined medical attention, according to report in The Review.
March 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man electrocuted trimming tree
A 50-year-old man was electrocuted March 2, 2011, as he trimmed a neighbor’s tree in St. Petersburg, Florida.
George Arthur Ball, of St. Petersburg, was using a gas-powered pole saw with one foot on an extension ladder and his other foot in the tree. When he cut the limb, the momentum took him forward and the pole saw made contact with an electrical line carrying 7,200 volts of electricity.
Ball fell to a lower branch where he remained suspended until emergency crews arrived. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
A woman who lives at the home where Ball was electrocuted had been paying him to cut her lawn for more than a year. She said Ball was trimming an elm tree in the backyard when the incident happened.
Ball’s family said he had worked in the construction field. When he was laid off he started mowing lawns in the neighborhood, according to The Tampa Tribune article.
Trimmer rescued from bucket after fire
A tree trimmer was rescued from an aerial lift bucket March 3, 2011, in Concord Township, Elkhart County, Indiana, after the vehicle caught fire.
According to The Elkhart Truth, the operator was stuck about 50 feet in the air, working on a nearby tree. Fire crews arrived to find the truck’s cab in flames and had to extinguish the fire before rescuing the worker.
Crews were eventually able to retrieve the worker safely using a ladder truck and rope.
Fire officials say the truck’s hydraulic pump overheated, resulting in the fire, according to WNDU in South Bend, Ind.
Man treated for injuries in chain saw accident
A White Hall, Illinois, man was injured March 3, 2011, while using a chain saw to trim a tree in South Jacksonville, Ill.
Chris Wallace, 24, a tree care company employee, cut his right arm in the accident after he allegedly lost control of his chain saw, according to a report in The Jacksonville Journal-Courier. He was treated at the scene before being taken to Passavant Area Hospital, where he was treated and released.
Man killed cutting down tree
A 44-year-old man died March 6, 2011, while trying to help his friend cut down a tree in Rostraver Township, Pennsylvania.
Milton Lebe, 44, was cutting firewood on a farm owned by his girlfriend’s family when he was killed by a falling tree. Lebe, a volunteer firefighter, died from blunt force trauma to the head, according to WTAE ABC Channel 4
Tree worker killed in struck-by
A Charles County, Maryland, man died March 9, 2011, after a tree fell on him while he and two other workers were clearing a wooded lot.
Kenny Lee Staley Jr., 24, and the two other workers were part of a tree service crew that had been in that area for a week or more. At the time of the accident, one worker was cutting the tree and one was chipping the wood or using another piece of equipment. Staley was attempting to get a rake when the tree came down. Staley died from head injuries, according to a report on www.somdnews.com.
Climber killed when tree splinters
A Westminster, Maryland, man died March 12, 2011, from injuries sustained while trimming the top of a large tree in Manchester, Md.
Sidney Wayne Diehl, 59, of Westminster, had been assisting friends with trimming the top of a large tree when the tree splintered and caused him to fall nearly 10 feet before his safety harness stopped the fall. Although the harness stopped Diehl’s fall, the tree continued to separate above him as he hung nearly 20 feet from the ground. Pieces of the tree fell on and around Diehl.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a critically injured man at the residence. Rescue workers found Diehl dead when they attempted to free him, according to the Carroll County Times.
Diehl, an experienced tree trimmer who was wearing all the recommended safety equipment, was apparently pinned against the tree, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Climber dies in fall from tree
A climber died March 15, 2011, after falling 45 feet out of a backyard tree in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. The man died of internal injuries after surgery, according to a report from other tree workers in the area. Though nobody witnessed the incident, the climber’s rope was still in the tree after the fall.
Trimmer injured cutting near power lines
A tree trimmer was injured Mar 17, 2011, while cutting near power lines in St. Petersburg, Florida. The trimmer’s clothing was on fire when he fell from a ladder to the ground, according to witnesses.
It was not clear if the man, who fell about 15 feet, was electrocuted. The man, who was not a local resident, was conscious when he was transported to a hospital for observation, according to a St. Petersburg Times report.
Operator injured by stump grinder
A Port Chester, New York, man was hospitalized March 18, 2011, with potentially life-threatening injuries after one of his legs became entangled in the grinding wheel of a large stump grinder he was using at a Greenwich, Connecticut, residence.
Another tree service worker turned off the stump grinder and freed Hector Guerra, who is in his 50s; the pair were part of a crew of four working at the location. Guerra was taken to a hospital with serious, possibly life-threatening, injuries, according to the Greenwich Time report.
Climber survives fall after fire in palm
An independent contractor hired by a homeowner to trim a palm tree fell 30 feet to the ground March 18, 2011, in Tucson, Arizona, after the chain saw he was using sparked and the tree caught fire. The man suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a hospital with burns and other injuries, according to KGUN Channel 9.
Man hit and killed by wood chipper
A 58-year-old tree service company owner died March 22, 2011, in Old Lyme, Connecticut, of head injuries suffered when a wood chipper being towed by a truck hit him at a work site. Thomas Lomas, was part of a four-man crew working together when the accident occurred. Lomas was taken to Shoreline Clinic in Essex, where he was pronounced dead, according to The Day in New London.
Trimmer rescued from palm fronds
A tree trimmer found himself trapped 75 feet up in a palm March 25, 2011, in Bakersfield, California, and when firefighters couldn’t reach him, his co-workers came to his rescue. The man was trimming the palm when a skirt of fronds fell on him, trapping him. Fire crews brought in two ladder trucks but, because of the location, couldn’t reach him. Then crews called for a helicopter to stand-by.
About and hour later, and after coming up with a safety plan, the man’s co-workers went up to get him. One of them said he feared his co-worker had broken his back or would suffocate from the heavy fronds.
The co-workers worked as a team, with one holding the trapped climber up, and one taking the weight off of him, while they worked to free him. They did, and the man was able to walk away with no injuries. Fire officials said he refused treatment, according to KERO-TV 23.
Tree injures worker
A small tree fell on and injured a line clearance tree worker March 28, 2011, in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County, near Allentown, Pennsylvania. The power company worker was clearing branches away from high tension lines when the small tree fell on him. The worker, who is in his late 40s, suffered back and neck injuries.
The accident happened roughly two miles off the road, through rough terrain, so it took rescue workers two hours to get him to a helicopter waiting to take him to a hospital. He did not suffer any life threatening injuries, according to a WFMZ-TV report.
Columnist injured in fall from ladder
Master gardener Dick Crum, known locally in Indianapolis, Indiana, as “Dr. Dirt,” was nursing nine broken ribs suffered when he fell 14 feet while trimming a tree on March 31, 2010.
Crum, 75, was on a ladder with a chain saw removing a tree branch at a community garden. He lost his balance after the 3-foot branch had been sawed. A passer-by saw the accident and called 911.
Crum gives horticulture advice on Saturdays on WIBC-FM (93.1) and in a column in The Indianapolis Star. He was an educator with the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service in Indianapolis until he retired in 1997.
Three years ago, Crum fell 26 feet off a ladder but wasn’t seriously hurt, according to The Indianapolis Star.
International desk:
Man’s legs severed in wood chipper
An arborist’s legs were severed Mar 4, 2011, in Sydney, Australia, after he got caught in a wood chipper. The 29-year-old man was removing a tree when he tried to dislodge a tree stump that became caught in the chipper.
The worker’s foot apparently became caught in the chipper, dragging him into the machine and severing both legs at the knees, according to an ABC News 24 report.
The man is believed to have 10 years’ experience as an arborist. He was taken to a hospital in a serious condition.
February 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed by felled tree
Frank Meager, 33, of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, was killed February 2, 2011, in rural Williamsburg, Iowa, when a tree he was cutting down fell on him. Officials say Meager was a subcontractor working to clear the right-of-way for a pipeline company, according to WQAD News 8.
Crane collapses, operator flees
A tree care company crane being used to remove a tree in Lake Mary, Florida, February 7, 2011, collapsed onto a building and the crane operator fled the scene. No one was inside the building, which houses several businesses.
The crane operator was trying to remove a large tree when he apparently lost control of the load, causing the crane to topple, according to officials quoted in a WFTV Channel 9 report. One witness said the tree was too heavy for the crane and the rear of the crane lifted up in the air and, basically, in slow motion, it went completely over and the tree hit the ground. Part of the tree and part of the crane went into the building.
Seconds after the 30-ton, 70-foot tall crane collapsed, the operator disappeared and police were searching him, noting that it was possible that he had driven himself to the hospital.
Tree worker falls to death
A 52-year-old man was killed February 8, 2011, when he fell while trimming a tree in south Caddo Parish, near Shreveport, Louisiana.
The victim and another worker, both employees of a local tree care company, were cutting an uprooted tree that had fallen. The victim was straddling the tree’s trunk when the tree suddenly shifted to an upright position, causing the man to fall about 25 feet to the ground.
The man, whose name had not been released, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to WXVT Channel 15.
Tree worker killed by struck-by
A 38-year-old tree worker was killed February 11, 2011, in Belleville, Illinois, after a falling tree branch struck him in the head. Damon Carpenter, of Centreville, Ill., was pronounced dead at the scene.
The incident occurred when a tree trimmer in a bucket several feet in the air cut a large branch, about 6 inches in diameter, that fell and struck Carpenter in the head. Carpenter apparently was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident, according to an initial report.
The only other worker at the scene was the tree service’s owner, according to a Belleville News-Democrat report.
Tree trimmer hurt when boom falls
A tree trimmer suffered moderate injuries February 22, 2011, in Windsor, California, after the boom truck he was working from toppled, dropping him to the ground. The man, whose name wasn’t immediately available, was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital from the accident site.
Emergency crews initially received a report that a man working for a tree trimming crew was trapped beneath the boom of a large truck. However, the man was able to free himself, according to a report in The Press Democrat.
Man killed pushing tree with tractor
A Laclede County, Missouri, man died February 23, 2011, after a falling tree knocked him off of his tractor near Orla, Mo. David Huxel, 71, was on his tractor cutting down trees. He was using the bucket of the machine to push a tree over. The top of the tree snapped and fell on top of the tractor. Huxel was knocked to the ground and suffered a skull fracture.
The sheriff says he had most likely been dead a few hours when a family member found him that evening, according to KSFX, www.ozarksfirst.com.
Climber hurt after cutting own line
A Corpus Christi, Texas, tree care company owner was in the hospital after falling more than 20 feet from a tree February 28, 2011. Rolland Hyatt, 51, was trying to cut a branch from a tree, but accidentally cut his safety line and fell to the ground.
Hyatt crushed two vertebrae and it
was expected he would be in the hospital for at least a month, according to www.kristv.com, NBC Channel 6.
January 2011 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Ground worker injured in struck-by
A 19-year-old ground worker was struck in the face by a two-foot-long piece of wood about a foot-and-a-half in diameter in Mill Valley, California, January 3, 2011. The wood, estimated at about 50 pounds, had been sawed off from a tree by a co-worker. It was probably a glancing blow, according to one of those on the scene.
The worker, an employee of a Pacifica tree service company, was conscious when emergency crews arrived and was taken to the hospital with injuries that included possible facial lacerations, according to the Mill Valley Patch.
Climber falls to death when harness malfunctions
A Hansville, Washington, man died January 5, 2011, when his safety harness apparently malfunctioned, causing him to fall some 70 to 100 feet onto a concrete walkway. Aaron B. Waag, 28, had been hoisted up by a boom crane and was trying to reach the limb of a large fir tree when he fell. Waag was wearing a safety harness, but the harness somehow detached from the boom crane hook, causing him to fall, according to a KOMO Channel 4 news report. Waag worked for a family owned and operated tree trimming and removal company based in Poulsbo, Washington.
The Kitsap Sun reported that Waag fell “at least 50 feet,” and that he was trimming limbs and preparing the trees for felling when the harness became detached from the crane, adding that witnesses and medics tried CPR, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at Harrison Medical Center.
Submitted by Doug Cleland, Cleland’s Tree Removal, Port Orchard, Washington.
Tree trimmer injured in fall
A tree trimmer was injured January 8, 2010, in Clackamas, Oregon, after falling about 50 feet to the ground. The man, described in a report as being in his mid 20s, was free climbing up to a place in the tree where he would have tied-off when he fell. He suffered injuries to his back and legs, but is expected to make a full recovery, according to www.kptv.com.
Homeowner injured cutting down tree
A man suffered a serious injury when a tree fell on him January 10, 2011, in Ryland Heights, Kentucky. Gola “Kenny” Johnson, 53, was cutting down a tree on his property when the tree fell. Johnson suffered a serious head injury and was transported by helicopter to University Hospital. His condition was not immediately released, according to WLWT New 5.
Man trapped after tree pins arm
A Maryland man was recovering after being trapped under a fallen tree for between two and three hours on January 14, 2011. The man was flown to the hospital after his wife found him trapped under the tree. The Washington County man was apparently cutting down trees when one fell on him. The tree, which was 3 feet in diameter, pinned the man’s arm to the ground, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Man found dead likely crushed by tree
A Franklin County, Indiana, man found dead Tuesday, January 18, 2011, was likely crushed by a tree while cutting wood over the weekend.
Police were asked to check on Peter A. Sturm, 46, a school bus driver, after he didn’t show up for work Monday or Tuesday. When police couldn’t find Sturm in his home, a neighbor suggested he might have been cutting wood on his property. Sturm’s body was found Tuesday morning.
He was apparently cutting a tree sometime over the weekend when it fell on him, causing massive head trauma and internal injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to TheIndyChannel.com.
Man hanging in tree rescued
A man became stuck up a tree, and rescuers found him hanging 30 feet in the air, upside down in Haverhill, Massachusetts, January 19, 2011. The victim was one of three men apparently cutting a tall storm-damaged tree behind a triple-decker home. Somehow the man found himself upside down, hanging by a leg wedged in the tree. His other leg was an artificial one. The good leg was the one stuck in the tree, according to a witness quoted in the WHDH Channel 7 News report.
Firefighters used ladders, ropes and a harness to secure the dangling man before they could cut away branches and bring him down safely. No update was given on the man’s condition.
Man killed in fall from tree
A 46-year-old man fell to his death while working on a tree in Nuuanu, near Honolulu, Hawaii, January 22, 2011. Victorio T. Ulep of Honolulu was trimming trees when his harness or his climbing line broke and he fell about 50 feet. He was taken to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he died later that day, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Submitted by Carol L. Kwan, a consulting arborist in Mililani, Hawaii, and secretary of the Aloha Arborist Association.
Man falls, dies while trimming a tree
A man died January 24, 2011, when he fell from a tree he was trimming in Northwest Jacksonville, Florida. The man was not identified, but was described as being in his 50s and working independently. There were no witnesses and the occupant of the house was not home. It was not clear how high the man was when he fell. A ladder rested crookedly against the tree he had been working on with a chain saw, according to the Florida Times-Union report.
Limbs removed to free injured man
A Muskogee, Oklahoma, man was injured January 24, 2011, when a tree he was cutting for firewood fell on him. Keith Horsley and another man were trying to get rid of a dead, fire-damaged tree at the home of the second man’s mother. The men apparently used two wedges on the tree to keep it from falling in the wrong direction. They were using a chain saw to cut the tree.
When the tree began to fall, Horsely ran in the same direction. A large limb hit him on the left side of his head and his shoulder. When firefighters arrived, the tree limbs were on top of Horsely, and firefighters had to use chain saws to remove them. A downed power line from the house was under the limbs, which also slowed their efforts, according to The Muskogee Phoenix report. Horsely was in good condition at a local hospital after the incident.
Man injured when tree falls on him
A man was injured January 29, 2010, in Gastonia, North Carolina, when part of a tree he was helping cut fell on him. The man was apparently helping his uncle fell the tree. It took 10 to 15 minutes for firefighters to get the tree off the man, who was in a lot of pain and appeared to be injured on his left leg, according to a witness. He was treated for non life-threatening injuries, according to The Gaston Gazette.
Man killed by felled tree
Thomas James Daley, 22, the son of Michigan state Rep. Kevin Daley, died January 30, 2011, while cutting a tree for firewood at his home in Arcadia Township, Mich. Daley was with other people at his home when a tree he was cutting took an unexpected fall and struck him. He was taken by emergency personnel to two different hospitals before succumbing that night, according to a WNEM TV5 report.
Accident Briefs compiled for accidents occurring through all of 2010
December 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the February 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Utility pole falls, killing tree worker
A tree trimmer died while working in a right of way in Chicago, December 3, 2010, after a telephone pole fell on him. Marvin Yoder was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Yoder was working for a tree care company that had a contract to notch and drop old utility poles along a commuter rail corridor.
Man killed by felled tree
A man died in New Castle County, Maryland, December 17, 2010, after a tree he was cutting behind his home fell on him. Galaen Shoun, 60, was pronounced dead a short time later at Christiana Hospital.
Police say Shoun was cutting the tree to get firewood when it fell on him and pinned him. The man’s wife called out for him and when she got no response, went into the yard and found him. She called 911.
Rescue workers lifted the tree of the victim and began CPR before taking him to the hospital, according to a repot on www.delmarvanow.com.
Worker suffers burns in workshop fire
An employee was injured December 18, 2010, while attempting to put out a fire at a landscaping and tree service company in Peoria, Illinois.
Hassen O. Drissi, 71, was working when a machine shed used as a workshop at the business caught fire and he attempted to put it out. He suffered severe burns and was transported to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center. His condition was unavailable shortly afterward, according to The Journal Star. Insulation in the wall of the structure started on fire from sparks generated by tools.
Trimmer struck, killed on train trestle
A tree trimmer was struck and killed by a train while walking to his job site December 20, 2010, in Trenton, Ohio.
William E. Kingrey, 44, of Camden, Ohio, who worked for a tree care company contracted to work in the area, was struck while he was walking across a trestle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kingrey was part of a crew trimming trees on Duke Energy property, with their vehicles parked on the south side of Elk Creek.
At the time of the accident, Kingrey was crossing the trestle with his equipment to go to the other side to their work area. He apparently was caught on the trestle and couldn’t get off in time.
He had worked as a tree trimmer for 26 years, according to the Hamilton Journal News.
Man killed when tree rolls
A man died at a rural Scotts Valley, California, home December 28, 2010, when a tree he was using a chain saw to cut into pieces rolled over him.
A caller reported hearing a neighbor yelling for help, and responding emergency personnel found that the tree had already been on the ground, and the man was attempting to cut it when it rolled over him, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel and San Jose Mercury News.
Climber killed after cutting safety line
An Allentown, Pennsylvania, man who accidently cut a safety line as he trimmed a tree December 29, 2010, in Whitehall Township fell 30 feet to the ground and died six hours later. Edward Goworowski, 48, was trimming the tree when he cut through the line and dropped from the tree, according to The Morning Call.
November 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the January 2011 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Veteran trimmer injured in struck-by
An 18-year veteran tree-trimmer for Chicago’s Bureau of Forestry was critically injured November 1, 2010, after he was hit in the head while removing a tree on the city’s south side, according to The Sun Times. No further details were given.
Man injured in trimming accident
A tree care company employee suffered serious head and internal injuries November 1, 2010, in a hydraulic lift accident as he was trimming branches from a pine tree in Detroit, Michigan. Police did not immediately release the name of the man, who was transported to University Hospital in Ann Arbor.
The man was injured after the hydraulic extension failed, causing the lift to drop about 50 to 60 feet., according to The Detroit News.
Man killed by falling tree
A 55-year-old Hyde Park, Vermont, man was killed November 2, 2010, in Morristown, Vt., when he was apparently pulling down one tree and another tree unexpectedly fell on top of him. The name of the victim was not immediately released, according to a WCAX News report.
Trimmer killed by rope pulled into chipper
A local tree care company employee was killed November 15, 2010, in Concord, California, when a climbing rope in use by another worker became caught in a wood chipper and he was thrown, striking his head. The victim was identified as 33-year-old Antonio Barajas.
Barajas was working in a team of about six workers. He was one of the crew feeding trees into the chipper. It appears he got caught in a rope that got caught in the machine and was thrown through the air at high velocity and struck his head on the safety bar of the chipper.
Barajas had worked for the company for more than seven years. He has an 8-month-old son and a wife, according to the company owner, as reported in the Contra Costa Times and McClatchy-Tribune.
Climber injured when tree fails
A 13-year tree care company employee was injured November 12, 2010, in the Roslindale section of Boston when the tree he was felling failed, taking him to the ground with it.
The single stem ash was alive but declining. The crew could have taken the tree in one piece but did not have room to put it down. Using a crane, they took the top and the victim remained tied into the remaining trunk section. The piece came off clean with little or no shock load or excess movement.
The tree had a slight lean, so the climber was on the opposite side. As soon as the piece was cut, the tree started moving toward the lean and when it broke at the base, the climber free fell with the trunk to a concrete patio. He slammed into the trunk on impact. He had all his PPE on and in this case the hard hat prevented a fatal head injury, according to the company owner.
The employee suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured shoulder, sternum, skull, nose and a gash on his head that was cleaned up by a plastic surgeon.
Man shocked after touching power line
A Richmond, Rhode Island, man was shocked November 28, 2010, after coming in contact with a 7,200 volt power line while on a lift, cutting down tree limbs. Part of Mark Bragger’s face touched the power line, sending the current through the 59-year-old-man’s body.
Bragger suffered burns to about 35 percent of his body. He was alert and conscious before being taken by med-flight to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was subsequently listed in fair condition, according to The Providence Journal.
The man’s daughter, who is in her 20s, was on the aerial lift with him at the time of the incident, but she was not hurt. Neighbors said they felt the shock in their nearby homes.
Bragger, a homeowner, apparently rented a fairly sizeable, non-insulated lift to prune pine trees in his yard.
October 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the December 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Worker electrocuted trimming trees
A yard maintenance worker trimming trees in West Palm Beach, Florida, was fatally electrocuted October 4, 2010, when equipment he was using contacted a power line. Rescue workers found Pedro Ortiz in a tree, about 30 feet above ground. Power was cut to the area as firefighters, using ropes, got the man down in 10 minutes, but he was already dead.
Apparently Ortiz made contact with some wires that were nestled in between the tree limbs, according to police quoted in a Palm Beach Post News report. Ortiz had a business, Ortiz Yard Maintenance.
Worker dies from struck-by injuries
Dudley “Mike” Akers, 38, of Middletown, Ohio, died October 5, 2010, a day after being struck in the head by a 40-pound branch that fell 40 feet while he was trimming trees at a residence.
Akers was walking under a tree when he was struck by the limb.
Compiled from Middletown Journal, Dayton Daily News, The Oxford Press and WKRC reports. Contributed by David M. Kennedy, a registered consulting arborist in Columbus, Ohio.
Trimmer injured in fall from lift
Daniel Ruiz was injured when he fell from a lift October 5, 2010, while trimming trees at Orlando World Center Marriott Resort near Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The fully extended scissor lift fell over with Ruiz, 26, in the basket. Ruiz tumbled 30 feet, but his injuries were not life threatening, according to the Orlando Sentinel report.
Trimmer rescued from 50 feet up
A tree trimmer was trapped 50 feet in the air for a half-hour in Rockford, Illinois, after the hydraulic system of his bucket truck malfunctioned October 7, 2010.
Fire crews were able to get him down safely. He was not injured but complained of numbness to his legs from hanging for so long, according to a www.wifr.com report.
Trimmer dies after 90-foot fall
Anthony Heinzen, 48, of Springfield, Ohio, died October 8, 2010, after falling 90 feet from an ash tree in Sugarcreek Township. He was trimming branches for a homeowner, according to a Dayton Daily News report.
Emergency crews found Heinzen lying on the ground near the base of the tree. At the time of the accident, he’d been working near to top of tree trimming limbs and branches, according to a www.whio.com report. It appeared he cut through the limb he had his safety line tied to, then fell the entire 90 feet along with the limb he’d cut. He was employed by a local tree care service.
Injured climber rescued
Firefighters rescued a tree trimmer stuck in a tree October 8, 2010, in Chesterfield, Virginia.
Crews responding to a call found the man about 40 feet up in the tree with a possible broken leg. An aerial platform provided firefighters access to the victim, who was removed from the tree and placed in the platform. Once on the ground, the man was transported to a local hospital, according to the www.VAFireNews.com report.
Man killed in struck by
A man found dead in his backyard October 11, 2010, near New Smyrna Beach, Florida, died accidentally while cutting a tree. 72-year-old Robert Evans died as a result of blunt force trauma.
Evans was found by his relatives in the backyard of his home He had been cutting a pine tree that morning. Officials said it was unclear whether the tree fell on him or whether he fell on the tree, according to The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
Trimmer rescued after branch hits power line
A tree trimmer had to be rescued by the fire department in Nauck, Virginia, near Arlington, after a falling branch made contact with electrical lines October 11, 2010.
The man was about 25 feet up in the tree when the branch made contact. Dispatchers were told that he was receiving electrical shocks every time he tried to move. An Arlington County Fire Department ladder truck, rescue squad and medic unit were on scene as power was shut off. The ladder was then directed toward the man, and he was hoisted into the basket by two firefighters. Back down on the ground, the man handed his chain saw off to firefighters and walked into the back of the ambulance, apparently in good health, according to the www.ARLnow.com report.
Tarzan’s “Boy” dies in fall from ladder
Johnny Sheffield, 79, the former child actor who played Boy in the Tarzan movie series, died October 15, 2010, of a heart attack at his home in Chula Vista, California, about four hours after he fell off a ladder while pruning a palm tree.
“He was a jungle boy to the end,” his wife, Patty, told the Los Angles Times, adding that her husband of 51 years wasn’t too high in the tree when he fell, but that “sometimes he was way up there.”
Sheffield played Boy in the Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller in the late 1930s and ’40s, and later starred in the “Bomba, the Jungle Boy” film series.
Man killed in struck-by
Joe Quitugua, 66, died while clearing trees in a patch of woods in front of his Guam home October 19, 2010.
His wife discovered him dead under a tree. It was obvious to her that he’d been dead for a couple of hours, according to a Pacific Daily News report. He died from chest compression and asphyxiation.
He was apparently felling a small tree, but that wasn’t the one that killed him. Branches must have been tangled overhead, and when the small tree in front of him fell it must have pulled a larger one down from behind him. He probably never saw it coming, his wife said, adding that the tree that landed on top of him was too big for any one man to lift.
Trimmer rescued from bucket
A tree service crew was trimming trees in Taunton, Massachusetts, October 19, 2010, when a hydraulic line in one of their bucket trucks failed, stranding the operator. Too much hydraulic fluid was lost and the arm was unable to bring the bucket down.
Firefighters used a snorkel truck to rescue the uninjured worker, according to The Taunton Gazette.
Man dies in fall while trimming tree
A man trimming a tree outside an Omaha, Nebraska, home October 22, 2010, died after falling and hitting his head. Officers called to the home said Keith Volenec, 56, was already dead when they arrived. Investigators said Volenec was working on a 50-foot tree when he fell. He had been on a ladder and not hooked to any safety devices, according to a www.KETV.com report.
Man killed by cut tree
Armand Morin, a long-time resident of Belmont, New Hampshire, was cutting a tree October 23, 2010, when either the tree or a branch fell on him, killing him. Police said he was alone at the time of the accident, according to WMUR channel 9.
Tree worker hurt in 40-foot fall
A tree worker was injured in Methuen, Massachusetts, October 24, 2010, when he fell 40 to 50 feet from a pine tree. David Bova, 27, of Methuen, was listed in fair condition that night.
Bova was wearing tree-climbing spikes, a harness and using a rope as he de-limbed the 60-foot pine from the bottom up. It appears that he was approximately 40 to 50 feet high when the rope used to secure his harness around the tree broke, according to The Eagle-Tribune report. Bova’s climbing gear, harness and ropes were all taken as evidence by detectives.
A passing police officer stopped and immediately started first aid on Bova who remained conscious and alert. Bova works for a local tree service, and previously worked as climber/bucket operator for the city’s public works department.
Tree worker clearing downed trees electrocuted
A tree service worker was electrocuted while clearing fallen trees and brush near downed power lines in Alto, Michigan, October 27, 2010, according to a WZZM channel 13 report.
A blogspot.com update said the worker was 36-year-old Jason Thomas Green, and that he was clearing fallen trees near several downed power lines when he touched a charged line and died.
Man hurt in fall from ladder
A 19-year-old man cutting tree branches at a residence in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, October 29, 2010, was injured when he fell off a ladder. The man did not appear seriously hurt, but was flown to UMass-Memorial Medical Center as a precaution due to the height of the fall, according to the Hopkinton Crier and The MetroWest Daily News.
Landscaper in bucket hit by truck
A landscaper trimming trees from a bucket truck was struck and injured by an 18-wheel semitrailer truck October 29, 2010, in Lighthouse Point, Florida.
The worker was in the bucket, with the hydraulic arm stretched over the outer southbound lane of North Federal Highway, trimming tree branches when the truck passed below. The worker was wearing a safety lanyard that attached him to the bucket, and it is not yet determined how he sustained a head injury.
When responders found him, the worker was dazed, according to one Sun Sentinel report, which added that he has a concussion and facial injuries.
The truck driver stopped after the collision and talked with police.
Trimmer rescued after injury
A worker trimming a homeowner’s trees October 30, 2010, in Athens, Alabama, had to be rescued after being struck by a limb. The man was working approximately 60 feet up a tree when he topped off a limb that struck his leg.
A fire truck and an Athens Utilities bucket truck were used in the rescue. Firefighters secured the man to the bucket truck and transferred him from the tree. He was then transferred to Athens-Limestone Hospital for any further assessment of injuries, according to The News-Courier.
September 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the November 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed helping cut trees
A 75-year-old man from the Everson, Washington-area was killed September 2, 2010, in Sumas, Wash., when he was hit by a falling tree. The man had been volunteering to cut trees for a church camp. Another man was cutting down a tree when it split and fell, fatally striking the Everson man, who was dead at the scene. He was not immediately identified, according to the Seattle Times.
Contributed by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
Fire chief killed by felled tree
Bob Mann, 42, was killed September 6, 2010, near Milesburg, Pennsylvania, when a tree he was cutting down toppled into another tree, then bounced back and pinned Mann underneath.
Mann was the chief of the Howard Fire Company in Howard, Pa., according to a WJAC-TV report.
Climber dies after possibly cutting ropes
Gabino Torrescano, 48, died September 6, 2010, after falling out of a tree he was helping take down in Tyler, Texas.
Torrescano was helping his brother cut down the tree when he fell about 50 feet. He died later at the hospital. Police say Torrescano possibly cut through his climbing ropes, according to a KLTV report.
Trimmer falls to death
A a self-employed tree trimmer was killed September 7, 2010, in Ashland, Kentucky, when he fell while working. Eric W. Luther, 35, of Ashland, was in the top of a tree removing limbs when he fell. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Daily Independent.*
Man killed when limb breaks free
A man was killed September 9, 2010, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, when a tree limb that he was cutting hit him in the head. The man and a co-worker were hired by a homeowner to clear wood debris and cut branches from a tree. According to a witness, the victim had winched a very heavy branch of the tree when it became stuck. As he attempted to loosen it, the branch slipped free and swung out from the winch hitting him in the head and knocking him off the ladder that he was standing on. The blow was fatal and he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Crews with the Chattanooga Fire Department and a tree cutting service had to remove the remaining tree branches before the victim could be removed. It was not immediately known whether the victim was licensed and bonded to perform tree removal, but he was acting as an independent contractor at the time of the incident, according to The Pulse newspaper.
Trimmer cuts self with chain saw
A Potsdam, New York, man was seriously injured September 10, 2010, when he accidentally cut his neck and chest with a chain saw. Edward L. Merrill, 36, was trimming trees near power lines when a co-worker heard Merrill scream and called 911. Merrill reportedly cut himself from his chin down to his stomach, according to the Watertown Daily Times report.*
Climber dies when tree fails
A man working for a tree service company died September 13, 2010, after falling at a home in Simsbury, Connecticut. Luke Stetson, 24, of Windsor Locks, Conn., was about 30 feet up in the tree, cutting branches when the tree snapped at its base and fell. Stetson fell onto the driveway, with the tree landing on top of him.
The white oak that Stetson was cutting down appeared to be healthy, but it actually had dry rot and couldn’t support Stetson’s weight, according to the tree company owner. The crew foreman called 911, but the critical injuries from the fall proved fatal. Stetson was pronounced dead at Saint Francis Hospital. A crew from OSHA is investigating, according to wtnh.com.*
Man dies after fall from tree
A Birmingham, Alabama, man died September 17, 2010, after he fell more than 50 feet from a tree. Alvin Childs, a 52-year-old self-employed tree worker, was tied off to a limb when the limb broke, according to The Birmingham News report. The north Birmingham man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Man killed by felled tree
A 79-year-old man was killed September 19, 2010, in Sherman Township, Michigan, when a tree he was cutting fell on him.
Donald C. Larson was cutting trees about 150 yards from his home. It appears Larson’s chain saw became stuck in the trunk of a tree. He apparently was pulling the tree with his lawnmower to dislodge the saw when the tree fell and struck him in the head, according to a report in The Bay City Times.
Man killed by falling tree limb
A Guadalupe County, Texas, man was killed September 23, 2010, in Seguin, Texas, when struck by a falling tree limb. A sheriff’s deputy responding to a call found Bob Boenig, 60, lying in a field underneath a tree limb. Emergency medical service personnel arrived on the scene and determined that the man already was dead. Boenig was apparently cutting a tree when the large limb fell on him, according to The Gazette-Enterprise.
Man loses foot and hand to chipper
A man providing routine lawn service was seriously injured when he was caught in a wood chipper in River Bend, North Carolina, September 23, 2010.
Ruse Ksok, 57, was working at a home when he got his arm and foot pulled into the chipper. As soon as it happened, his boss shut the chipper down, but Ksok’s hand and foot had been amputated. Ksok was airlifted to Pitt County Memorial Hospital, according to wnct.com.*
Tree worker hurt during storm clean up
A man was injured September 24, 2010, in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, after being struck by a branch while working to remove a downed tree following storms in the area.
The man was clearing lines of storm damaged tree limbs when he was apparently struck by the falling limb. The man was conscious and talking to the paramedics while he was being loaded onto the ambulance, according to a KDKA-TV report.
Man seriously injured by felled tree
A North Ogden, Utah, man was struck and injured by a tree he was trying to cut down September 24, 2010. The 39-year-old owns a small tree-removal business and was in a backyard when the tree landed on him. A neighbor heard him calling for help and discovered the man trapped under the tree. Emergency crews removed it when they arrived.
A medical helicopter flew him to Ogden Regional Medical Center in serious condition with back, leg and head injuries, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Tree worker killed by winch line
A man trimming trees in Tampa, Florida, was killed September 25, 2010, after becoming entangled in a winch line that got caught in a chipper.
Miguel Vargas, 44, of Tampa, was part of a five person crew trimming trees along a road. Vargas was at the back of the wood chipper feeding bundles of tree branches into it when he became entangled in rope wrapped around the branches. He fought being pulled into the wood chipper, but the rope apparently did go into the chipper and the force on the rope caused fatal injuries. He was not pulled into the chipper.
His boss told a reporter that he heard the rope and a piece of metal going through the chipper and jumped for the emergency shut off, but it was too late for Vargas, who by then was already on the ground. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Vargas worked for the tree service for the last 7 years and had used the chipper for the last four years.
This report was compiled from floridatoday.com, abcactionnews.com, HGTV and Scripps Howard News Service 10 News reports.
Landscaper injured by falling tree limb
A member of the campus landscape crew at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California, was injured when a falling tree limb pinned him down September 27, 2010.
The landscaper was conscious and breathing by the time emergency personnel arrived, but complained of back pain. He was then transported to Pomona Valley Hospital for observation, according to The Poly Post.
Tree worker injured in mine accident
A contract worker at Kingston Mining mine in Fayette County, West Virginia, was injured while cutting trees September 29, 2010. The worker had a safety rope and harness and had tied his rope to an adjacent tree, then sawed the tree that he had tied his safety rope to. The man was transported to the hospital but was not seriously injured, according to The Register-Herald.
Man killed cutting tree
A Blackey, Kentucky, man was removing a tree growing too close to his house September 29, 2010, when a large tree limb fell on him and killed him. It appeared the tree being removed by Bill Walters, 34, had fallen into another tree when the accident occurred. A chain saw and other tools were found at the scene, according to the www.americantowns.com report.*
* Indicates items contributed by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
August 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the October 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man trapped while trimming tree
A South Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, man had to be rescued from a tree August 1, 2010, after his hand became lodged between the tree and a fallen limb. The unidentified man was trimming branches near the top of a tree at his home when one of the limbs fell, trapping his hand between it and a V-shaped portion of the tree. The limb that fell was approximately 6 inches in diameter. Firefighters used aerial ladders on two trucks to reach the man. The victim was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Trimmer injured in a fall
A tree trimmer was seriously injured in a fall on the job in Rowlett, Texas, August 2, 2010. The worker reportedly had fallen at least 20 feet. Emergency workers reportedly performed CPR on the victim and moved him to a nearby school parking lot so a helicopter air ambulance could land and retrieve him. The extent of his injuries was unknown, according to FOX 4 News.
Tree service worker dies after fall
A tree service worker died August 3, 2010, from injuries suffered after falling 35 feet from a tree he was trimming at a residence in River Edge, New Jersey.
Police found Baltazar Santana, 48, of Newark, who worked for a local tree care company, lying on the ground and not breathing. Two officers were able to open an airway in Santana’s neck until an ambulance arrived. Santana was taken to Hackensack Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to The Record.
Trimmer stung by bee swarm
A man was stung as many as 150 times by Africanized honeybees August 7, 2010, in Safety Harbor, Florida. Ralph St. Peter and co-worker Michael Foster, who swatted the bees off St. Peter with his bare hands and also was stung, were taken to a local hospital. Doctors kept St. Peter overnight before releasing him.
St. Peter, 44, of Weeki Wachee, Fla., who claimed he has been around trees for 30 years and that he is a certified arborist, has his own tree care company and contracts out to others, which is what he was doing when the bees came out of one of the dead oaks he was removing. The owner had apparently told him there was a nest of honeybees. He told the St. Petersburg Times he thought there were only 200 or so domestic bees, not 50,000 Africanized ones.
St. Peter leaned a ladder against a tree and climbed to the top. He attached a safety line to his body so he could rappel down the tree in the event a swarm of bees emerged. His line got stuck in the limbs when the swarm emerged. He screamed to his colleagues for help, but the bees would go in his mouth. His co-workers finally gave him a knife to cut himself loose and he was able to flee the tree.
The next day, St. Peter returned to finish the job, but probably wished he hadn’t after a felled tree went the wrong way and took out a power line.
Man dies after fall from tree
A 60-year-old man died August 05, 2010, after he fell from a tree that he was trimming on a property he owned in Lexington Township, Ohio.
Donald Papes was trimming a tree with a chain saw around 2 p.m. when he lost his balance and footing and fell out of the tree, sustaining fatal head and chest injuries. He was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to a larger hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that night, according to The Repository.
Trimmer electrocuted
A man was hospitalized in critical condition after he received a severe electrical shock while trimming a tree August 6, 2010, in Chicago, Illinois. The man was believed to be a private tree trimmer.
A woman who saw the whole incident and called for help reported that she “saw fire come out of his head and his feet. Then, he did begin to move, and he was able to climb down himself,” according to a WLS-TV Channel 7 report.
Bucket operator struck by limb
A man was injured August 6, 2010, after he was hurt trimming a tree in Sumter County, Florida. A large limb fell and hit the man while he was in a bucket.
The bucket was lowered and the man was rescued and flown to Orlando Regional Medical Center, according to a WESH Channel 2 report.
Worker uses tree to escape fire
A tree-service worker escaped injury August 6, 2010, in Lacey, New Jersey, when a company truck caught fire while he was in the aerial bucket. Police and the firefighters found the boom truck fully engulfed by flames. The worker was in the bucket when the truck caught fire, but grabbed the tree he was cutting and slid 35 feet to the ground, according to an Asbury Park Press report.
The fire company extinguished the blaze. The worker was not identified and there were no injuries reported. Indications are that leaking hydraulic fluid ignited on the truck’s hot engine.
Trimmer electrocuted by power line
Mark E. Thomas, 30, of Jefferson City, Missouri, was electrocuted Aug 9, 2010, while trimming a tree at a residence near Millersburg, Mo. It appears a chain saw Thomas was using while he was standing in an elevated bucket may have cut into a service line. Thomas was a foreman and had been employed by the same firm for the last seven years. His company was a subcontractor on the tree trimming job to trim limbs away from power lines. Thomas was one of a two-member work crew that was trimming trees when he was electrocuted.
Emergency medical workers were not successful in reviving Thomas, who was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor from University Hospital in Columbia. Survivors include his wife, Jamie, and five children, according to The Fulton Sun.
Man dies after knocked from ladder
James Pfeiffer Jr., 30, was trimming an oak tree in front of his Mountainside, New Jersey, home August 22, 2010, when a branch snapped, swung down and struck the ladder he was standing on. Pfeiffer fell to the ground, landing on his head. Rushed to University Hospital in Newark, he was pronounced dead that night.
Pfeiffer was a decorated Westfield, N.J., firefighter, according to The Star-Ledger.
Teen electrocuted trimming trees
A Fairfax, Virginia, teenager died August 24, 2010, while using a power saw to trim trees. The teenager was working about 10 feet from a power line, according to WTOP and Channel 9 TV reports. Current from a 19,000-volt distribution line may have passed through a tree branch to the boy’s body. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
Submitted by Preston A. Leyshon at PLANET in Woodbine, Maryland.
Tree falls on landscaper, killing him
A tree being removed on an Avon, Ohio, golf course fell on the owner of a landscaping service Aug 24, 2010, killing him. Guy P. Goodman, 42, of LaGrange, Ohio, was killed instantly by blunt force trauma and crush injuries to his head, neck and body.
The tree slipped out of a front-end loader and fell on Goodman after he and two crew members had cut it down, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Working alongside Goodman were his father, Guy Goodman, and another employee.
Trimmer killed in lift failure
Adam Mackintosh, 34, of Denver, Colorado, was killed while trimming trees August 25, 2010, in Littleton, Colo., when the arm on the articulated boom he was working in snapped and he fell about 30 feet. He was being lowered when the incident occurred and he was thrown from the bucket, according to The Denver Post.
County worker dies in tree accident
Matthew Don Crowell, 31, a Wood County, Texas, worker since January 2008, was killed August 30, 2010, in Quitman, Texas, after he became trapped between two large limbs while cutting a tree from a county road right of way. Crowell was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The preliminary cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma, according to KFDA News Channel 10.
Trimmer dies after electrocution
Alan D. Daley, 28, of Mount Airy, North Carolina, a tree worker seriously injured August 28, 2010, after the bucket truck he was in struck an electrical line in Pilot Mountain, N.C., died September 6, 2010, according to the Winston-Salem Journal.
Daley, a tree care company employee, was doing tree work in a bucket truck around a power line when he came into contact with a primary electrical line. He was brought down from the tree after the incident and was in cardiac arrest. He was revived on the scene, and then was transferred to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem where he died two weeks later.
Trimmer killed by felled tree
A 43-year-old Renton, Washington, tree trimmer was killed in Bellevue, Washington, August 27, 2010, when part of a cut tree hit him in the head.
The man was part of a crew hired to cut down a tree. According to first-hand accounts, the climber had placed a face cut in a section and started his back cut when the saw ran out of gas. The victim was retrieving the saw to refuel it when the piece broke off unexpectedly.
Other members of his crew tried to help him and Bellevue Fire Department medics performed CPR, but he died at the scene, according to a report in The Olympian.
Man injured by falling tree
Dan Brewer was injured while clearing trees and brush to facilitate a view from one of his properties in Booneville, Missouri, August 17, 2010. Brewer cut a tree the entire way through using a chain saw but wondered why it hadn’t come down. He looked up at it and then stepped some six feet back when he saw it start to fall. And that’s the last thing he remembers.
Brewer woke up with facial lacerations requiring 70 stitches and a broken arm, nose and a vertebra in his back. A newspaper carrier with training as a nurse’s aide found him and stopped the bleeding until help arrived, according to the Boonville Daily News.
July 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the September 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man dies month after trimming injury
A man died July 18, 2010, more than six weeks after he was seriously burned in an electrical shock while trimming his trees in Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania. Terrance Crosland, 68, had been in the hospital since the June 3 accident.
Crosland was trimming his trees June 3 when he was electrocuted. He died from full thickness burns, according to the local coroner’s office, according to The Morning Call.
Tree worker falls to his death
A 22-year-old Sumiton, Alabama, man fell to his death July 2, 2010, while cutting tree limbs in Forestdale.
The man was 50 to 60 feet up when he fell from a tree he was working on. Forestdale Fire & Rescue responded and were unable to revive the man, who was pronounced dead on the scene. The victim worked for a tree service and was cutting limbs when the accident occurred, according to The Birmingham News.
Trimmer burned by power line
A tree trimmer was in serious condition July 3, 2010, after he was shocked while cutting down limbs in Sheridan, Indiana.
Ron Hammack, 70, owner of Ron Hammack Tree Trimming Service, was working in a bucket truck behind a home in Sheridan when witnesses said his chain saw touched either a power line or a tree branch that was in contact with a live current. “He was a big ball of fire,” according to a witness quoted by WRTV-TheIndyChannel.com. “It went down to the tires and the tires caught fire.”
Despite his burns, Hammack was alert enough to tell firefighters how to lower the bucket to the ground. He was airlifted to Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis suffering from burns to his hands, head, chest and side, but was listed in serious but stable condition that evening.
Woodcutter killed in struck-by
Earl Clyde Lewis Jr., 69, died July 3, 2010, in Gastonia, North Carolina, while attempting to fell a tree for firewood. The cut tree hit a large branch of another tree, which then fell, striking and killing him, according to the Gaston Gazette.
Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, Southfield, Michigan.
Trimmer attacked by bees
A tree trimmer in his 30s was taken to a hospital after being attacked by a swarm of bees in Beaumont, Texas, June 2, 2010. He encountered a bee hive in one of the tree’s limbs. Bees stung the man multiple times, and responding personnel said they could not count the number of stings.
The man did not appear to have a bad reaction to the stings, but was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure. An employee helping the man was also stung a few times, but did not receive medical treatment, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.*
Tree Trimmer Strikes Power Line
A tree trimmer was injured after striking a power line while on the job in Delaware, Ohio, July 8, 2010. The trimmer’s exact medical condition was not immediately known, according to ABC6/Fox28 News.
Man killed in logging struck-by
Herbert Edgar Sais, 71, died July 9, 2010, in a logging accident outside of Hot Springs in western Montana. He was cutting ponderosa pine with his son when a cut pine hit another tree that then fell on him. Sais died while being transported by ambulance to a medical center in Ronan, according to the Great Falls Tribune.*
Tree worker killed by cut tree
A 32-year-old man died July 12, 2010, while felling a tree in Northern Kentucky. The man was with a crew working on the tree when the tree fell on him. Crews used a tow truck to remove the tree after the accident, according to the Kentucky Post.*
Tree trimmer needs rescue
Firefighters in San Diego, California, rescued a tree trimmer who became exhausted and unable to make it down on his own from a height of about 40 feet on July 13, 2010.
Neighbors called 911 for help and a ladder was used to reach the man. A firefighter put a harness around the man, who was then able to walk down the ladder.
Paramedics evaluated the man, who said that he had reinjured an ankle. He did not want to be transported to a hospital. He had been in the tree about 30 minutes, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Man pinned by tree limb
A Sandwich, New Hampshire, man was injured in a tree-cutting accident July 15, 2010. Thomas Canfield, a local contractor, was wearing a safety harness and was roped into a rotten maple when a large limb he was cutting pinned him against the trunk by one leg. He was able to yell for help and alert a neighbor, who called 911. Rescuers called the owner of a local bucket truck to help in the rescue, according to The Citizen of Laconia.
Electrocuted worker improves
A woman electrocuted July 16, 2010, while removing trees at a home in Canandaigua, New York, was listed in satisfactory condition in a Rochester hospital three days later.
Stephanie L. Ganoe, of Canandaigua, was helping her father, owner of a tree service, trim trees when she was shocked by about 7,200 volts of electricity. Deputies said a bucket truck made contact with a power line and the charge passed through her when she touched the vehicle, according to the Messenger Post.
Fallen branch pins man in tree
A Wilmington, Delaware, homeowner trimming a tree at his residence became pinned in a tree by a branch he was cutting July 18, 2010. Victor Berger, 49, was on a ladder trying to knock down a piece of a big branch that had already started to fall. The limb came down and trapped Berger’s arm while he was approximately 35 to 40 feet from the ground.
Berger complained that he could not feel his fingers and that his arm was numb. About 50 rescue personnel took nearly two hours to rescue him. Air bags were used to lift the fallen branch.
Emergency responders brought Berger down in a rescue basket and rushed him to Christiana Hospital, where he underwent surgery for severe injuries to his right arm, including nerve damage. He also suffered dehydration, according to The News Journal.
Man killed by felled tree
A rural Chesterton, Indiana, man died July 18, 2010, when the tree he was cutting down in Jackson Township, northeast of Valparaiso, fell on him.
A resident fishing in a nearby pond said David Raby, 46, was working with an ax and a chain saw and warned the resident that the tree was about to fall.
The tree then fell in a different direction than indicated by Raby. The resident found Raby lying unconscious and with a bleeding head wound under the middle of the tree. He ran to the nearby house to get someone to call 911, then performed CPR until a conservation officer arrived. The officer also attempted CPR and used an automated external defibrillator, but arriving medics said Raby was dead, according to The Post-Tribune.
Trimmer hurt by cut tree
A tree trimming company employee injured his legs July 19, 2010, in Taymouth Township, Michigan, when a tree fell on him. While attempting to cut down the tree, part of it twisted and fell on him, possibly breaking a bone. He was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to www.mlive.com.
Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, Southfield, Michigan.
Pocket tool injures man in fall from ladder
Ted Fairbanks, a Bonny Doon, California, firefighter was injured July 19, 2010, when he was knocked off a ladder by a falling limb while trimming overgrown bushes and branches with a chain saw to reduce fire danger. Fairbanks was working a side job for a friend at the time.
The impact of landing on a log pushed a closed jackknife in his pocket into his pelvis, fracturing it and two vertebrae. He was hospitalized, has since undergone at last one surgery, according to a Santa Cruz Sentinel article.
Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, Southfield, Michigan.
Worker falls 100 feet from tree
A tree care company worker was in critical condition after falling more than 100 feet from a tree July 20, 2010, in Huntsville, Alabama.
Workers were clearing trees from a yard on to make room for a pool when the injured man cut his safety line by mistake and fell out of the tree he was working on. Co-workers at the scene said the man was conscious when emergency workers arrived, according to a www.waff.com report.
Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, Southfield, Michigan.
Man survives fall from tree
A Licking Township, Ohio, man was in fair condition at a Columbus hospital after falling 40 to 50 feet from a tree on July 20, 2010. Clyde Armstrong was working on a tree on his property when he fell. He was alert and conscious at the scene, according to the Newark Advocate in Newark, Ohio.
Crane falls on house
A crane that was removing a tree fell onto a house July 20, 2010, in Akron, Ohio. As the crane was removing part of the tree, the crane somehow went airborne and the boom-arm of the crane flipped onto the roof of the house. The homeowner was not home at the time and no one was hurt, according to WKYC-TV 3.
Man killed by felled pine
A Dawsonville, Georgia, man was killed July 21, 2010, while clearing a lot in Forsyth County. A 75-foot pine tree struck and killed 71-year-old Norris Goss instantly.
He was part of a land-clearing crew grading a lot for residential construction. Goss was not the one who cut the tree. Another co-worker cut and pushed the tree, according to an AccessNorthGa.com report.
Man survives shock, 50-foot fall
A Heath, Ohio, man fell 50 feet to the ground July 21, 2010, after suffering a shock from a power line while trying to trim trees at his home. Clyde Armstrong was not happy about the way his power company trimmed the trees on his property, so he decided to tackle the job himself. But as he cut one of the limbs, it swung and hit one of the power lines, sending the voltage into the tree and knocking him out.
The electricity passed through Armstrong’s body and flung him to the ground. Inside the house, his wife saw the lights flicker. She ran outside and found her husband lying on the ground moaning. Armstrong was treated for cracked ribs and hips, a punctured lung and a dislocated shoulder.
Despite the ordeal, Armstrong still planned to cut up that tree, albeit with a different strategy, according to a 10TV News and www.10TV.com report, which quoted him as saying: “I think I’ll tie a rope to the one and hook it to my truck so I can make it pull and it will land in the yard or something, I guess.” He was expected to recover completely within six weeks. (Stay tuned…)
Landscaper injures hand with chain saw
A 43-year-old landscaper was flown to a Boston hospital July 21, 2010, after suffering a severe chain saw injury to one of his hands in Mashpee, Massachusetts, according to the Cape Cod Times.
Boy pinned by cut tree
A 10-year-old boy was injured July 23, 2010, in Gardner, Massachusetts, when a tree being cut by his 17-year-old brother fell on him.
Police said the boy was helping his father, the owner of a tree service, remove a tree. The boy was helping his father run a wood chipper while his brother was cutting off the top of the tree when it fell and pinned the 10-year-old.
Police and firefighters were called. Before they arrived, the father removed the boy from under the tree and drove him to a fire station. He was then taken to a hospital, according to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Man dies after fall from tree
Mike Stringer, 51, died July 24, 2010, after he fell from a tree he was trimming at his home in Saraland, Alabama, according to the Mobile Press-Register.
Man dies after falling on chain saw
A woman who heard her neighbor’s idling chain saw found him dead the evening of July 25, 2010, after he apparently fell off a 16-foot ladder while trimming a tree behind his San Antonio, Texas, home. Jose Alejandro Munoz, 64, was pronounced dead after San Antonio police were called to an alley behind his house. Neighbors heard Munoz trimming a tree that morning, then around 7:30 p.m., a woman watering her plants heard the chain saw. She went to check on him and found him face-down on top of the saw, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
Man killed by tree he cut
A Vineland, New Jersey, man was killed July 28, 2010, when a tree he was cutting fell on him. The tree fell on Dominick Visconti, 61, sometime between noon, when he had lunch with his family, and about 3:30 p.m., when they found him. Visconti dead at the scene, according to a report in The Press.
Man killed when tree fails
A 29-year-old man fell to his death July 28, 2010, in Sandy Springs, Georgia, when the tree he was attempting to cut down snapped below him. He fell at least 60 feet.
The tree care company employee was part of three-person crew cutting a tree behind a home. The man was attempting to cut branches above his head when the tree gave way below him and the top of the tree and the man fell to the ground, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Man killed by struck-by
A tree-trimming company employee was killed by a falling branch July 29, 2010, at a Baltimore County, Maryland, home. The man was one of several employees working to remove a 100-foot tree. As the tree was falling, it struck a second tree, part of which fell on the victim, fire officials said. Medics called to the scene pronounced him dead, according to The Baltimore Sun.
Man killed by falling tree
Robert Wittenmyer, 46, of Emison, Indiana, died July 30, 2010, after being hit by a tree he was cutting down. Wittenmyer and another man were attempting to cut down a large tree when it fell the wrong way unexpectedly and landed on him. Wittenmyer died of a massive head injury, according to WTHI News 10.
Trimmer dies after striking power line
A tree trimmer died in West Los Angeles, California, July 31, 2010, after equipment he was using struck a power line.
The 24-year-old apparently suffered a heart attack after his mechanical axe hit an electrified line. Co-workers lowered the man to the street and paramedics were summoned, but he was pronounced dead at a local hospital, according to a www.newsbyme.info report.
Man killed trimming tree
Steve Gouldsmith, 40, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, died while trimming a tree at his home July 31, 2010. According to a police report, Gouldsmith was trimming a damaged tree limb when the limb fell and knocked the ladder he was using from underneath him. Gouldsmith then fell to the ground and the tree limb fell on top of him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to The Kansas City Star.
* Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, Southfield, Michigan.
June 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the August 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Tree trimmer shocked
A tree trimmer was shocked June 4, 2010, in Clearwater, Florida, when he accidentally touched a power line.
The 21-year-old man was reportedly about 28 feet up on a ladder when he touched the line and fell to the ground. He was taken by helicopter to a Tampa hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a St. Petersburg Times report on www.tampabay.com
Trimmer shocked by power line
A tree trimmer working in the backyard of a Bellevue, Nebraska, home was seriously injured June 4, 2010, apparently shocked when his ladder came in contact with an overhead power line. The worker was breathing and had a pulse when emergency personnel arrived but he was unconscious. He was transported in critical condition to the Nebraska Medical Center, according to WOWT Channel 6 News.
Bucket operator hurt in fall
A Portsmouth man hoisting a cut tree with a winch on a truck bucket was catapulted from the bucket when a cable snapped June 6, 2010, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Jim Camarato fell 30 feet to the pavement, according to The Portsmouth Herald. Alex Walker, the tree company owner and Camarato’s employer, watched as Camarato operated the winch to lift a cut tree and as Camarato fell from the bucket and landed on his back, according to a WMUR Channel 9 news report.
A co-worker called 911, and paramedics who arrived stabilized Camarato him before transporting him to the hospital.
Tree worker crushed by loader
An employee of a tree service company was killed June 6, 2010, while removing trees in Caldwell, Idaho. Chad Alan Lee Green of Middleton, Idaho, was using a chain saw to cut a tree stump when the chain became stuck. Workers used a Bobcat to try to push the stump and free the chain, but the loader slipped and crushed Green. He died at the scene, according to the KIVI TV report. *
Man killed in wood chipper
Henry Lira, 60, a Santa Cruz County, California, maintenance worker died June 7, 2010, after being pulled into a wood chipper in Watsonville, Calif. He was part of a four-person crew clearing road-side at the time of the incident. Officials said he got “caught up in the machine.”
Lira died at the scene, and an ambulance and fire crew were canceled before they arrived. Lira had lost one arm and badly mangled another in a workplace accident in 1985. In that incident, he grabbed jumper cables out of the cab of a crane just as the crane’s extension touched a nearby power line, badly shocking him. He used a prosthetic limb and had worked for the county since 1969. State law would not have stopped Lira from working around machinery such as wood chippers due to his prosthetic limb, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel report.
Contributed by Ruth Stiles, self-employed consulting arborist and horticulture consultant in Scotts Valley, Calif.
Man dies in fall from tree
A 50-year-old man died after a fall from a tree in Corpus Christi, Texas, June 10, 2010. He was hired to trim a tree in the backyard of a home. A neighbor saw the man lying on the ground and called police. Investigators believe he may have fallen at least 10 feet. The medical examiner was trying to figure out what exactly killed the man, according to KRIS Channel 6 News.
Man injured in fall from tree
A 40-year-old Lucerne, California, man was flown to an area hospital June 14, 2010, after falling out of a tree. The man was trimming the tree when he fell out of it and onto a travel trailer about 25 feet below. The man complained of numbness, according to the Lake County News.
Man falls 40 feet from bucket
A man working for a tree company was injured June 14, 2010, in Saugerties, N.Y., when a falling tree knocked him out of a bucket truck, sending him 40 feet below into the woods.
The man was trimming the trees around the power lines when a tree fell on the bucket, knocking him out of it. The tree took down wires as it came down, with the wires ending up on the truck.
The trimmer suffered non-life threatening injuries to his back and leg and had to be extricated from the woods, according to the Daily Freeman.
Man hurt cutting tree branch
A man cutting a 25-foot-long tree branch June 16, 2010, in Randall, Wisconsin, landed in the hospital after injuring his shoulder when he fell off a 10-foot ladder he used for the task.
William Solger, 54, was on the extension ladder at his home. When he cut it, he fell off the ladder and the tree branch came down and pinned the ladder. The branch mostly missed Solger when it came down, according to the Kenosha News report.
The branch, in addition to being long, had a canopy about 20 feet wide and was very heavy. Solger had been using an electric saw to cut the branch.
A helicopter transported Solger to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa where he was being examined by doctors, as a precaution, for other signs of trauma.
Firefighters rescue stuck tree trimmer
A tree trimmer stuck about 30 feet up a tree in was rescued by firefighters June 17, 2010, in Los Angeles, California. Paramedics took the man, about 40 years old, to a hospital for treatment of chest pain, according to www.dailybreeze.com.
Son saves father from chipper
Kevin Stacey, owner of a tree service company, and his son, Danny, 17, were on a job in Salem, New Hampshire, June 19, 2010, when the elder Stacey became stuck in the hopper of the wood chipper. He’d been feeding small pieces of wood into the machine when he suddenly realized something was wrong. “I got caught. Something grabbed and tugged my arm,” he told The Eagle-Tribune newspaper. “Before I knew what had happened, it had pulled me in.”
Stacey was inside the chute, with his arm caught in the feed rollers. He tried but could not reach the safety bar to stop the rollers. “The way I was caught, there was absolutely no way I could help myself,” the father told The Eagle-Tribune.
He managed to call out to his son and the next thing he remembers he was out of the machine, and just in the nick of time.
“By the time he said, ‘Danny’ and he looked back, the rollers were right in his face,” Danny Stacey said.
But before his father even spoke, Danny Stacey realized something was wrong because he saw his father move in an unnatural way. “He jerked up,” the son said. “Literally, his feet were off the ground.”
So Danny acted. “My first instinct was to just grab him, but even faster… I hit the safety bar.”
The cleats on the rollers left Kevin Stacey with two gashes on his arm, requiring 14 stitches, and a bruise on his finger possibly from banging into the blade. Danny Stacey, on his first day of summer school vacation, wrapped his father’s arm with a compression bandage and asked the landowner to call 911.
“If he didn’t respond as quick as he did,” Kevin Stacey said of his son, snapping his fingers, “That’s it. That would have been it. Without any question in my mind.”
Man dies trimming tree
A Platteville, Iowa, man died June 20, 2010, after a tree-trimming accident. Terry Irwin, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Telegraph Herald report.
Climber falls 50-60 feet to death
An Oakland, Maine, man died June 22, 2010, in Rome, Maine, when he fell 50 to 60 feet from a large tree he was pruning and landed on his back.
Derrick Spiller, 34, who was self-employed, had just removed limbs at the top of the tree when one of his gaffs let go and he fell to the ground.
A witness said Spiller was gasping for breath immediately after the fall, but Spiller had no pulse and was not breathing, when rescuers arrived. Rescuers could not revive him.
Spiller was not wearing a helmet, but was equipped with a harness that appeared to be intact. State police will not investigate further, because Spiller’s death was deemed accidental, according to The Morning Sentinel in Waterville, Maine.
Man hurt by felled tree
A man was taken to the hospital June 23, 2010, with a serious head injury after a tree fell on him near Dilworth, North Dakota. The man was helping a neighbor remove a tree when that or another tree fell on him, according to the www.inforum.com report.
Bucket operator waits 11⁄2 hours for rescue
Allen Norwood, a bucket truck operator for a local tree care company, was stuck in a bucket 60 feet in the air for about 90 minutes in hot weather in Jackson, Mississippi, June 23, 2010. Eventually, with the help of firefighters, Norwood was able to slide down the upper boom of the lift, according to a www.msnbc.msn.com report.
Man killed by felled tree
The family of a Rapid City, South Dakota, man whose body was found June 24, 2010, said David Buster died two days earlier when a tree fell on him.
Buster, 65, left home early on June 22 with his two small poodles to cut firewood. His family alerted authorities that evening when he failed to return.
Family members had searched in the area where he was eventually found, but did not go deep into the forest. On June 24, authorities asked for the public’s help to find the missing man. His body was found that evening.
Buster was apparently cutting down a very large tree that fell on him. His chain saw was found sitting on the tree’s stump. Buster’s dogs were found by family members when they returned to his pickup.
Climber falls 85 feet to his death
A tree trimmer fell approximately 85 feet to his death June 24, 2010, in Doyline, Louisiana.
An investigation indicated that Robert Wayne Meshell, 47, from Shreveport, crossed his climbing line with another rope and one rubbed through the other, causing the climbing rope to break, which caused him to fall. Meshell died from apparent internal injuries before paramedics arrived on scene.
Meshell worked for a Minden, La., tree care company, reportedly had 30 years of experience and was working with a crew and using safety devices, according to KSLA News 12 and www.ktbs.com reports.
Baby girl killed by falling branch in park
A 6-month-old New Jersey girl was killed and her mom badly injured June 26, 2010, when a tree branch fell on them as they posed for a photo at the Central Park Zoo in New York City.
Gianna Ricciutti died in the accident that played out before helpless relatives and dozens of zoo-goers. The tragedy occurred as Mike Ricciutti, 41, of Union City, was taking a picture of his wife, Karla, and daughter, according to the New York Post.
Witnesses heard a creaking sound, and the tree branch fell. The limb fell about 25 feet. It wasn’t immediately clear what agency is responsible for maintaining the trees in the zoo.
Submitted by Brian C. Skinner, senior arborist for National Grid in Syracuse, New York.
Worker killed by struck-by
A 30-year-old man died June 26, 2010, in Wallace, West Virginia, after a tree fell on him. The man worked for a family owned tree or logging company. The man was cutting limbs off a tree when a dead tree farther up the hill fell on him. The victim’s name wasn’t immediately released, according to the www.wvva.com report.*
Man injured when tree fails
A man was seriously injured in Minocqua, Wisconsin, June 28, 2010, after the top of the tree he was strapped to broke and fell to the ground, according to the Blue Lake Free Press.
The man and a co-worker were felling a tall birch when the tree broke and fell with the man still tethered to it. The tree fell on top of his hardhat, which cracked under the force. His partner ran to the closest available residence and summoned for help. The man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was then airlifted out of the area.
Woman killed in struck-by
A woman working with a Mishawaka, Indiana, tree-trimming business was killed June 28, 2010, in Granger, Indiana, when she was hit by a falling branch as she worked to clean up debris from the recent storms.
Shannon Magezi, 34, of Granger, the business owner’s stepdaughter, was helping with the work when she walked underneath a tree as a large limb was being cut. The limb struck her in the head. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the www.wndu.com report.
* Indicates items submitted by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
May 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the July 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed May 1, 2010, while felling a tree in Northwoods, Ohio.
James Williams, 47, of East St. Louis, Ohio, was apparently operating a chain saw while working with a small crew to cut down a tree at a residence when a large branch fell, striking him.
The force knocked Williams to the ground as the chain saw cut a deep wound in his lower torso. Williams was pinned under the tree as several people ran to call 911. Williams apparently began to lose consciousness as emergency crews made it to his side. He was rushed to the hospital but pronounced dead soon after the accident, according to the www.wkyc.com report.*
Tree worker dies in fall
A Pebble Beach Company worker died May 3, 2010, after he fell about 25 feet from a tree that was being cut down near The Links at Pebble Beach in Monterey, California.
Miguel Vasquez, 52, of Salinas, was trying to set a choker in the tree when he fell for an unknown reason. He was pronounced dead at the hospital immediately after the incident.
Co-workers said Vasquez had worked for the Pebble Beach Company for nine years. His crew was working on a tree next to the Pebble Beach driving range, according to The Monterey County Herald.
Man dies after fall from tree
A man died after he fell from a ladder and a tree branch fell on top of him in Springfield, Massachusetts, on May 6, 2010. Carlos Silva, 60, was standing on top of a ladder, using a chain saw to remove a large damaged tree branch. It was windy at the time and the branch snapped off, knocking Silva to the ground. He fell 15 to 20 feet, and the branch landed on top of him.
Silva was taken to Baystate Medical Center with critical injuries. The hospital announced the next day that Silva had died as a result of his injuries, according to WWLP Channel 22 News.
Climber with broken leg rescued
Emergency personnel in Bethany, West Virginia, rescued a man with a broken leg who was stuck about 60 feet up in a tree May 6, 2010. A huge branch snapped and struck Mark Tober’s leg, breaking it and leaving him hanging. Firefighters were able to use the ladder truck to cut their way to the victim with a chain saw. From there, they used ropes to help him down. Tober was taken to a Wheeling hospital and is expected to be OK, according to the www.wpxi.com report.*
Trimmer shocked by power line
A 35-year-old man was taken to a hospital after being shocked by power lines while trimming trees in Villa Park, California, May 7, 2010.
The man was reported unconscious with possible burns to his hands after he had been on a ladder trimming a tree when he came in contact with a power line, according to the Orange County Register.
Tree falls on man, killing him
A man was found dead May 7, 2010, after a tree apparently fell on him in rural Douglas County, Missouri. Deputies found a deceased 78-year-old man trapped under a large tree. Police believe the man was cutting trees from a fence line when the tree fell on him, according to The Kansas City Star.
Doctor dies cutting tree
A Shelby, North Carolina, physician was killed May 8, 2010, when a tree he was cutting fell and struck him. Mike Miller, 68, was working at his home in Cleveland County when the accident happened, according to The Charlotte Observer.
Man hurt trimming tree
A man injured while cutting a tree limb in Glenmoor, Ohio, near the county airport, was flown by helicopter to a Pittsburgh, Pa., hospital May 10, 2010. The extent of the man’s injuries was not immediately known, according to the Salem News.
The man was cutting a large limb when it snapped back, pinning him. The fire department assisted in removing the victim from the tree. A neighbor held the limb off the man until the fire department arrived.
Trimmer pinned 30 feet up
A 24 year old tree trimmer was pinned and injured by a cut limb 30 feet above the ground in Brown County, Ohio, May 11, 2010. Firefighters had to be called in to rescue the man.
The trimmer had worked his way out on a main branch of the tree and was cutting off another smaller branch when the one he
Man injured in bucket collapse
A Cornville, Maine, man was seriously injured May 17, 2010, in Shawmut, Maine, after the boom on his bucket truck broke while he was cutting down a large tree and he fell 25 feet to the ground. Ralph Pierce, owner of a local tree service, was flown to Eastern Maine Medical Center from a nearby field. A report on his condition was not available.
According to co-workers at the scene, Pierce was in the extended bucket while cutting down a pine tree at a residence. Pierce had removed limbs from the tree and a large branch had fallen to the ground and become embedded in the lawn. He attached a cable winch from the bucket to the limb and was pulling the wood from the ground when the boom broke, a co-worker told The Morning Sentinel.
Pierce, who flipped out of the bucket after it hit the lawn, initially was unconscious but later tried to speak before the ambulance arrived. He was not bleeding, but appeared to have broken bones. A firefighter described Pierce’s injuries as serious.
The 12-inch by 12-inch steel boom on the bucket truck had been welded in the past.
Trimmer dies after fall
A man died May 19, 2010, after he fell 60 feet from a bucket truck while trimming trees in in Pawleys Island, S.C, South Carolina.
Bill Hucks, 48, of Galivants Ferry, was trimming the tops from some trees at a residence when he apparently leaned back against part of the bucket and it broke.
A co-worker who was with him and witnessed the incident called 911 and began CPR. Hucks, the owner of the tree service, was in cardiac arrest when rescue workers arrived. He was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to The Sun News.
Man injured cutting trees
A man was injured when he was hit in the head by a falling tree limb while doing tree work May 20, 2010, in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. A helicopter transported the man to an area hospital, according to The Sun News.
Woman pinned under tree
A woman was injured after being pinned under a cut tree May 22, 2010, in Belleville, West Virginia.
Firefighters responding to a 911 call found the woman behind the house, in the woods. She was conscious and alert, but had a two-foot-diameter tree lying on her right leg.
She had apparently been standing on the bank below the tree while her husband was using a chain saw to fell the tree. When the tree fell, it rolled down the hill and came to rest on her leg.
Equipment had to be carried by firefighters approximately 50 yards to the rescue site. The tree was stabilized using wooden blocks to prevent it from rolling down the steep hill and further onto the woman. Rescue airbags were placed under the tree and inflated, raising the tree about six inches to allow the patient to be removed.
Medical personnel treated the woman and packaged her in a litter basket to be carried out of the woods. She was then flown to a hospital by helicopter, according to the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.
Man hurt in struck-by
An 83-year-old man was hurt May, 28, 2010, in Waltham, Mass., when a large, cut branch knocked him over, slamming his head onto pavement.
Ayed Bataresh and his son were cutting branches on their property and using a rope to direct the branches to the ground. The son, standing on a ladder, was chopping off a branch when a large branch came down and struck the father, who fell on the driveway.
The father was semi-conscious and bleeding from his head. Firefighters and emergency workers tended to the man and transported him to an area hospital, where he was listed in fair condition, according to the www.dailynewstribune.com report.
Submitted by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, Urban Forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
Man killed when pinned in tree
A man died May 29, 2010, in a tree-cutting accident in his Fredericksburg, Virginia, yard. David Miller, 44, was pronounced dead on arrival at Mary Washington Hospital.
Miller had been cutting off the top of a tree and was in a harness about 30 feet up the tree. After he made the cut, the cut-off section shifted, pinning him at the chest against the main trunk of the tree.
Firefighters were called, but the initial call didn’t mention the severity of the accident. A tower truck was then called, and firefighters had to remove the limb before removing the victim. Miller was conscious and communicating when they arrived, but soon lost consciousness.
He was married and had a daughter and two stepsons, according to the www.fredericksburg.com report.
Submitted by Gary Teates, a self-employed arborist in Orange County, Virginia.
April 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the June 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Trimmer falls to death
A tree trimmer died April 2, 2010, after falling in an Apple Valley, California, yard.
Adelberto Lua, 50, was working at a home when he lost his balance and fell out of a tree to the ground 20 feet below. The Perris resident was flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he died two hours later, according to The Sun of San Bernadino.
Woman killed by tree husband cut down
A 66-year-old Deerpark, New York, woman was killed April 2, 2010, when a large piece of a tree trunk struck her in the head and landed on her chest. Judy Malzahn and her husband, Clinton Malzahn, were cutting down a large tree at their home when a large portion of the trunk struck her. The husband had already taken off a piece of the tree top and was cutting another section when the accident occurred. Emergency services personnel attempted to revive Mrs. Malzahn without success, according to the Mid-Hudson News. *
Bremerton man killed in fall from tree
Michael Pitcher, 30, operator of his own landscape company, died April 5, 2010, after falling about 35 feet from a tree he was limbing in Poulsbo, Washington. He was wearing a helmet, but reportedly landed on his head on a fallen tree, according to the Kitsap Sun. Aid was summoned by a co-worker, according to the Seattle Times.
Man Injured in chain saw accident
Frank Villegas, 63, of Hempstead, New York, was in serious but stable condition after an accident in Oceanside, N.Y., April 5, 2010. Villegas was working for a tree-trimming company when the chain saw he was using bounced off a tree limb and severely cut his arm. Reeling from the laceration, Villegas lost his footing and fell six to eight feet to the ground. Villegas was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital, where he is in serious but stable condition, according to the Long Island Herald.*
Man injured by fallen tree
A man was airlifted to Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Georgia, April 5, 2010, after being injured when a tree fell on him in Armuchee, in northern Floyd County. Jeff Dean was apparently cutting a tree when it split and fell on him, causing severe injuries to his left leg and left arm, including several compound fractures, according to the Rome News-Tribune.
Dean was not pinned by the tree, which was estimated to be between 24 and 30 inches in diameter, when rescuers arrived, but people on the scene apparently cut some of the tree away before emergency crews arrived. He had serious injuries to his left femur and also to his left arm from the weight of the tree.
He was conscious when emergency crews arrived and was treated on the scene before being life-flighted. He was in critical condition later that day, but was upgraded to stable condition later that week.
Falling tree injures worker
A man working on a tree-service crew April 8, 2010, in Prunedale, California, was hurt when a tree crashed down on him. The 20-year-old victim, who complained of severe back pain, was flown to Regional Medical Center of San Jose. Paramedics thought he might have internal injuries, according to The Monterey County Herald.
The man, who was unidentified, was working on the ground with a local tree service crew when a nearby pine tree started to fall. His crew mates shouted, and the man tried to get away, but he was struck in the back by an 8-inch-diameter branch as the tree toppled. Crew members said they weren’t working on the tree that fell, and there was no wind. The accident occurred in a driveway of a home.
The branch broke when it hit the man, so he wasn’t trapped beneath the fallen tree.
Trimmer dies after pole saw hits lines
A contract tree trimmer died in Alexandria, Virginia, April 9, 2010, after a pole chain saw he was operating hit power lines and he fell into them. The victim was about 45 feet off the ground in a tree with power lines about 10 feet below him when the accident occurred. The man appeared unconscious while stuck in the lines. After power was turned off and rescuers reached him, he did not have a pulse. The man was brought to the ground and he was pronounced dead at the scene about 20 minutes later. The victim worked with a local landscaping service, according to a WUSA Channel 9 report.*
Man killed in trimming accident
A 41-year-old man was killed in a tree-trimming accident in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, April 9, 2010. Brian Pieller, 41, of Womelsdorf, Berks County, was working at a home in Cornwall. Pieller was in a tree about 60 feet from the ground when a limb from an adjoining tree snapped, pinning him upside down against the tree. Rescue crews worked for more than two hours to free him. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WGAL Channel 8 news report.
According to a Reading Eagle report, Pieller’s co-workers had seen another tree-trimming crew in the area earlier and summoned it to try to rescue Pieller. That crew, reportedly from Davey Tree, tried to reach Pieller with its bucket but could not. Other area fire companies were unable to reach Pieller with a 75-foot ladder truck. The tree was on a steep embankment more than 30 feet from the road. A ladder truck from Manheim finally reached Pieller.
Submitted by Warren A. Jacobs, Jacobs Tree Surgery, Inc., Perkiomenville, Pa.
Man killed by felled tree
A Marietta, Ohio, man died April 9, 2010, when part of a tree he was cutting fell on him. Jeffrey A. Parks, 34, was pronounced dead at the scene in Oak Grove, Ohio.
Parks had been using a chain saw to cut a tree on family property, and it appeared the trunk of the tree Parks was cutting split then fell on him. It did not appear anyone was with Parks when the accident happened. His father is the one that found him, according to The News and Sentinel.*
Man dies after tree limb falls
An elderly man who was cutting down a tree was struck and killed by a falling tree limb April 10, 2010, in Madison, Indiana. Leo R. Geyman, 81, of Madison died on his farm from blunt force trauma to the head. Geyman’s brother was with him at the time of the accident, according to the www.fox59.com report.*
Climber electrocuted
A tree service company owner was killed April 14, 2010, after he was electrocuted while trimming a tree at a house in Burlington, North Carolina. William Ricky Phillips Jr., 35, who owned the Thomasville, N.C., company, was in a pine tree at the time of the incident. He and at least one other man were at the job. Some limbs he was working on came in contact with primary power lines and he was electrocuted, according to the Times-News.
When the call came over the police scanner, it was thought Phillips was just knocked unconscious after his chain saw hit the branch. When authorities arrived, Phillips was still harnessed to the tree and hanging upside down. The chain saw was still running. A Burlington firefighter climbed a ladder to get to Phillips. He checked his wrist for a pulse and shook his head to indicate that Phillips didn’t have one. The firefighter also turned off the chain saw. Firefighters used a ladder truck with a bucket to get Phillips down.
Trimmer nearly severs own arm
A tree trimmer nearly severed his own arm in a chain saw accident in Whitehaven, Tennessee, April 14, 2010. The trimmer was stuck in the top of a tree, with his arm dangling only by a piece of skin, after he somehow lost control of his chain saw. Witnesses said it was his right arm, and that he cut it just above the elbow at
the base of the bicep. “It looked like the saw cut right through the bone and everything,” said one witness quoted in a www.wmctv.com report.
The man could not get down from the tree on his own. One of his co-workers went up a ladder and actually brought the trimmer down. Paramedics rushed the man to the hospital in critical condition, in a race to save his arm, and his life. Police said the tree trimmers were not in marked trucks, but work for a reputable company. *
Tree Trimmer inured
A man was injured when a tree fell on his leg in Marion County, Missouri, April 15, 2010. The accident occurred when workers were trimming trees on the south side of a river bank off U.S. 61. Responders were advised that the patient would need to be carried out from the scene according to the Hannibal Courier-Post report.*
Man hurt by cut tree
A Limestone County, Alabama, man was still in critical condition a week after he was struck in the head by a falling section of tree while working in his yard April 15, 2010. Spencer Black, 67, had retired less than two months earlier as the Limestone County emergency management director. Witnesses say a dead portion of the tree, which had been trimmed away and was caught in branches, suddenly dislodged and struck Black in the face. Black was knocked unconscious onto a pile of burning leaves and was severely burned, according to www.whnt.com and Athens News Courier reports.*
Trimmer dies under palm fronds
A tree worker trimming a palm in Mesa, Arizona, April 17, 2010, was killed when a pile of fronds fell on him, trapping him underneath. Two men were trimming the palm around when the 28-year-old worker was trapped under 500 to 1,000 pounds of dead foliage. When firefighters arrived at the home, they could only see the man’s hands showing from under the skirt of fronds, according to the ABC15.com report.
The worker on the ground said his partner was conscious and talking when he went for help, but he spoke only Spanish and the homeowner didn’t understand what was wrong. A passer-by who did understand Spanish called 911. Firefighters in a ladder truck with a bucket got to the man in the tree, pulled away the palm fronds, and started CPR. Rescuers continued CPR on the ground, but were unable to revive the victim and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim’s family arrived at the scene and were met by grief counselors from the Mesa Police Department
Falling tree claims man’s life
A South Charleston, Ohio, man died April 18, 2010, when the tree he was cutting fell on top of him. James L. Fry, 41, was attempting to cut a tree in a woods with a chain saw and instead of the tree falling the way he wanted it to fall, it fell right on him, apparently killing him instantly.
Fry and a friend, Brad Downard, were reportedly hunting on property they had hunted on before, as it belongs to Downard’s father. Downard made the 911 call to the sheriff’s office reporting what had happened to Fry. An autopsy was to be performed, according to The Jackson County Times-Journal.
Tree worker shocked, brought back to life
A tree service employee working with a trimming crew April 19, 2010, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, man touched his company’s bucket truck and received a crippling jolt of electricity that sent him flying and knocked him out.
One of the homeowners came out and started CPR. An emergency service dispatcher gave instructions to the couple, who had no CPR training. A sheriff’s deputy arrived with a defibrillator and administered at least two shocks before paramedics arrived. The fire department further assisted with the rescue attempt.
A helicopter flew the victim to Madison, and a few days later the man was said to be talking with his family and improving at University of Wisconsin Hospital, according to TMJ4 News.
The hickory being trimmed is near a power line, but it was unclear what part of the truck came in contact with an electric current.
Farmer crushed by tractor
A 62-year-old farmer was killed when he was accidentally pinned under a tractor while felling a tree on his property in Monroe, New Hampshire, April 19, 2010. Howard Ward and another person had been trying to cut down a large pine tree. Ward was using the tractor to push on the tree and guide it down.
The tree apparently started to fall, but the front of the tractor became entwined with the tree, according to a WMUR Channel 9 report. The tractor rolled over and Ward was pinned beneath it. Rescuers pronounced him dead at the scene.
Trimmer electrocuted
A tree cutter from Washington County, Pennsylvania, was electrocuted April 20, 2010, on a job in Bethel Park, Pa., while his brother watch from the street below him. Eric Arnold, 30, of Langeloth was cutting a tree on Robert Drive when a branch fell off and hit a power line, according to a Channel 4 Action News report.
Arnold worked for a tree service owned by his uncle, Rick Kaposy, according to a WPXI.com report. At the scene, Arnolds brothers blamed Kaposy for his death, saying Eric Arnold did not have sufficient skills or training to be working near the power lines. The uncle denied those allegations, according to the news report.
Submitted by Douglas T. Bozich, Verona, Pennsylvania.
Man fatally injured when tree falls on him
A 62-year-old Vermont man died April 21, 2010, of injuries he suffered when a tree fell on him. Gary Osborne of Island Pond, Vermont, was cutting trees with his son when the accident occurred. Osborne was taken to North Country Hospital, where he died of his injuries, according to a www.boston.com report.
Tree service worker electrocuted
A tree-service worker from Reva, Virginia, was electrocuted April 22, 2010, when a tree branch he was cutting hit a power line in a western Henrico County neighborhood. Brian Daniel Morris, 27, was trimming branches in a tree. After cutting one branch that struck a power line, the electrical current passed through the branch and into Morris, setting him ablaze, according to a Star Exponent report.
He fell, but his safety equipment kept him suspended from the tree. Firefighters had to remove him. They tried to resuscitate him on the ground but were unsuccessful. Morris was declared dead at the scene. Morris was apparently an experienced tree-cutter, but it was his first day on the job with his new employer. He was part of a six-man crew but was working alone in the tree as a supervisor.
Man killed by cut tree
An autopsy was scheduled for an Easthampton, Massachusetts, man who was apparently killed when hit by a tree he was felling on family property in Heath, Mass., in western Franklin County on or about April 22, 2010.
Timothy P. Lapinski, 47, had gone up to the property alone several days earlier and his family became concerned after he failed to contact them for three days. They had a friend go check on him and the friend found him on the ground. Evidence at the scene suggests he was hit by a tree that he was cutting, which may have broken his hip and legs before bouncing to the ground, according to a www.gazettenet.com report. *
Tree trimmer electrocuted
A tree trimmer was critically injured April 24, 2004, when he was electrocuted while working in Long Beach, California. The man’s trimming tool apparently came in contact with high voltage power lines, knocking him unconscious.
Before Southern California Edison officials shut down the power feeding the poles, the man was in and out of consciousness and was shocked four to six times. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to get the victim out of the tree. He was hospitalized in critical condition. His name was not released, according to the San Jose Mercury News. No one else was injured.
Tree falls, kills inmate
James Dudley, 42, of Yale, Michigan, was killed April 28, 2010, while clearing trees with a St. Clair County jail crew in Emmett Township, Michigan. Dudley and three other inmates were cutting down trees and witnesses reported a chain reaction in the thick stand – one tree fell into another, which fell into a third tree. The third tree, which was rotted, fell in the opposite direction of the others, hitting Dudley. He was taken to Port Huron Hospital, where he was pronounced dead about an hour later.
The inmates – all classified as trustees – were being supervised by someone from the county drain commissioner’s office. The trustees were broken into two, two-man crews. Dudley was “wedging” trees and was not using a chain saw. Trustees are trained before being put on a job.
Dudley was serving a 90-day jail sentence for a “traffic-related offense,” according to the Times Herald. Trustees are low-risk inmates who work to offset the $60-a-day fee for being in jail.
Crane operator injured in mishap
A crane being used to remove a tree in the back yard of a home in Bergenfield, New Jersey, April 29, 2010, tumbled over, causing injury to the operator of the machine and severely damaging a house. The crane boom was extended more than 90 feet at the time of the accident
The operator of the crane, Kim Bianco of a tree service, was taken to a local Med Center after sustaining a knee injury from bailing out of the crane. One person home at the time was not injured, although the house sustained serious damage. As it tumbled, the crane took down telephone and cable wires, according to the Twin-Boro News.
Public Service Electric and Gas Co. was called to the scene and cut power to the affected house. The Bergenfield Fire Department also responded.
City worker hurt by struck-by
A city worker in Albertville, Alabama, was severely injured April 30, 2010, while cleaning up debris left behind from an EF-3 tornado that hit the area a week earlier. A crew was using a loading machine to pick up trees downed in the storm when a tree slipped out of the machine and hit the man in the head, pinning him against the truck. The man was transported by helicopter to Huntsville Hospital. His condition is not known at the time of the www.waff.com report.*
* Items submitted by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
March 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the May 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Postal truck crushed by tree
A postal carrier escaped serious injury when a tree fell onto his delivery vehicle in Westport, Connecticut, March 1, 2010. The tree destroyed the vehicle and took down power lines. The driver was able to get out of his crushed vehicle and walk to waiting medics, who treated him and transported him to a hospital with minor injuries. Once the downed wires were de-energized, Westport firefighters found the mail truck engine was still running and it was in gear, according to The Hartford Courant.
Trimmer stuck in tree
A tree trimmer became tangled in a harness and stuck in a tree 50 feet off the ground in Chesterfield County, Virginia, March 2, 2010. Because the tree was in the backyard and near power lines and other trees, it was not possible for responding firefighters to use an aerial truck for the rescue. After one or two failed efforts to reach the climber, a firefighter who specializes in technical rescues was able to reach the victim and secure ropes around him. Crew mates on the ground held back-up ropes and kept the ladder secure, and in minutes the victim was gently lowered to the ground.
A medical team checked the victim for injuries. A co-worker said the man had been a tree trimmer for 40 years, according to the Chesterfield Observer.
Fall from tree kills firefighter
An off-duty firefighter died March 2, 2010, after falling out of a tree he was trimming in Durham, North Carolina. Brad Roberts, 26, was pronounced dead at Duke Hospital. He had been working for a private tree company at a home when he fell, according to The News & Observer. Another report, from www.abclocal.go.com, said he was working in his own yard when the accident occurred.
Submitted by Chris Baley, owner of CS Tree Services, Inc. in Apex, North Carolina, and Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
Homeowner electrocuted trimming tree
A 49-year-old, Grand Prairie, Texas, homeowner was electrocuted March 5, 2010, while trimming a tree. Family members called firefighters after they saw the man unconscious 30 feet up on an aluminum ladder. Nemias Saucedo, 49, was cutting a branch with a pole saw when a limb came in contact with a power line and then hit the ladder he was standing on. The man died at the scene. Power company workers had to shut off power in the neighborhood so firefighters could remove the body, according to The Dallas Morning News and www.myfoxdfw.com reports.
Homeowner killed by felled tree
A 47-year-old man died March 6, 2010, in Bainbridge, Washington, from injuries suffered when a maple tree he was cutting fell on him. The teenage children of Tad James Reid called police that evening saying he’d been cutting down trees on their property and they couldn’t find him. Police found Reid pinned under a tree and freed him. Bainbridge Island firefighters tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate him, according to the Kitsap Sun.
Worker injured in struck-by
A tree worker was injured by a falling tree in Lowell, Massachusetts, March 8, 2010. The victim was taken by medical helicopter to a local hospital, according to a www.thebostonchannel.com report.*
Train hits tree truck, killing driver
A man was critically injured after an Amtrak passenger train hit a tree service truck March 9, 2010, in White County, Indiana. John E. Wilson, 36, of Monon, who was driving trimming truck, was thrown from the vehicle after the collision. Wilson was unconscious but breathing, and was taken to White County Memorial Hospital with unknown injuries and later transferred to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, where he later died.
The train came to a stop more than a mile north of the crash scene. Limited visibility because of fog may have been a factor in a crash, according to the www.jconline.com report.
Woman killed by felled tree
A falling tree hit and killed a 60-year-old woman March 9, 2010, in Stuart’s Draft, Virginia, while she and her husband were cutting the tree down. The couple was cutting down a 35-foot-tall and 12- to 14-inch-diameter oak tree in their backyard. As the tree fell, the woman ran and ducked behind another nearby oak tree for shelter. The felled tree bounced off another tree and toward the woman, striking her in the head, according to a www.newsleader.com report.
Submitted by Joseph Williams V, CTSP, of Williams Brothers Tree & Lawn Service in Staunton, Va.
Branch falls on worker’s head
A tree worker was in stable condition after a falling branch hit him in the head in Marblehead, Massachusetts, March 13, 2010. Crews were cutting a tree when the branch fell. The worker was conscious when emergency crews arrived, but they took him to Mass General Hospital as a precaution, according to a www.necn.com report.
Man dies after being struck by tree
A Linwood Township, Minnesota, man in his mid-40s died March 15, 2010, after being struck by a tree he was helping cut down in Anoka County, Minn., according to a www.twincities.com report.*
Worker rescued after chain saw accident
Firefighters rescued a tree worker stuck in a tree after he partially severed his hand with a chain saw March 16, 2010, in Greenwich, Connecticut.
The worker was in the crotch of the tree more than 50 feet above ground. He had apparently beenpruning with a chain saw at a private residence when he cut nearly all the way through his left wrist. A firefighter using climbing equipment and a ladder was able to reach the man in the tree to stop his bleeding and bring him down to be treated before being taken to the hospital. The victim’s condition was not known at the time of the www.greenwichtime.com report.*
Cut trimmer keeps working, dies
An experienced tree trimmer who slashed himself with a chain saw while 40 feet up a pine tree in New Port Richey, Florida, March 19, 2010, died after refusing to come down for medical attention.
Daniel Antrobus, 48, was straddling a branch when he accidentally carved a 4-inch cut into the back of his right leg, exposing the bone. Antrobus, a co-owner of the tree service, yelled out that he had cut himself, according to one of his employees quoted in a www.tampabay.com report. The employee told him to come down, but Antrobus wanted to finish the job. Another employee asked a neighbor to call 911. Antrobus apparently was then overcome by the loss of blood. Fire rescue crews arrived and within a half-hour Antrobus was strapped to the top of an extended ladder and guided to the ground. By that time he had gone limp and did not respond to CPR. He was flown to Bayfront Medical Center and pronounced dead about an hour later. A co-worker said Antrobus had never injured himself during his 13 years of tree work.
Tree worker injured in struck-by
A man doing tree work at a private residence March 17, 2010, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, was injured when part of the tree came down and hit him. The man was treated and transported to Lahey Clinic in Burlington, according to a www.chelmsfordmassnews.com report.*
Man possibly killed by cut tree
An Erie County, Pennsylvania, man may have died in a wood-cutting accident in a wooded area behind his home on or about March 17, 2010. Laverne Jaquith, 66, of Wayne Township, was found dead by a neighbor the morning or March 17. A chain saw was found near the man’s body and he might have been hit by a tree he was cutting down. The neighbor had last spoken to the man two days earlier, according to a www.post-gazette.com report.*
Tree truck mishap causes gas explosion
A ladder hanging from a tree service truck fell off the vehicle as it pulled away from a gasoline pump at a gas station in Mercer Island, Washington, March 18, 2010, becoming lodged between the gas pump and the chipper. As the truck pulled away, the ladder caused the tank to explode into flames, according to the Mercer Island Reporter.
Two fast-acting station employees used the emergency shut-off to stop the flow of gas to the pump, then attacked the 12-foot-high flames with extinguishers. Customers at the remaining four pump stations fled the scene on foot, one even leaving her shoes behind. Firefighters were at the scene within minutes.
The truck driver was written a citation for driving with an unsecured load. The tree company reportedly has insurance to cover costs.
Bees attack and kill dog
A deadly swarm of killer bees attacked a 5-year-old, 70-pound shepherd-mix outside a home in Miami Gardens, Florida, March 19, 2010, killing the dog.
George Williams, the dog’s owner, was trimming a tree in his backyard, but apparently got too close to a colony where more than 70,000 Africanized bees lived. Williams suffered more than a dozen stings, but he and another dog escaped the attack.
Williams said he knew the beehive was there, that the Africanized killer bees were not your average honey bees but were very aggressive, and that he had called people about them in the past, according to a www.wsvn.com report.*
Trimmer stuck 30 feet up in palm
A tree trimmer was trapped aloft in a palm March 19, 2010, in Wasco, California, after a batch of fronds from higher up came down on top of him and knocked him sideways. Victor Fuentes was stuck 30 feet up and having difficulty breathing, his climbing lines holding him to the tree.
Fuentes’ fiance, Maria Gomez, who often helps him on his tree jobs, according to the KBAK/KBFX report, was on hand watching events unfold. Fuentes was dangling for a while before firefighters were able to secure him aboard a ladder and bring him safely down. Fuentes denied medical treatment at the scene.
Trimmer critical after fall
An Elmer, New Jersey, man was critically injured after falling from a tree in Buena, N.J., March 22, 2010. Randy Woody, 49, was trimming a tree at a home, using spurs to climb the tree, when he apparently slipped and fell about 30 to 35 feet. Woody hit a wooden fence when he fell, suffering head trauma, according to a WMGM-TV report.
Trimmer injured by cut tree
A tree trimmer working at residence in Gaffney, South Carolina, March 24, 2010, was injured after being pinned by a section of tree he had just cut. A neighbor heard a cry for help, and called 911.
Luke Oliver was freed by rescue crews and flown by medical helicopter to Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, where he was later listed in good condition, according to a News Channel 7 report.
Man electrocuted trimming from ladder
A 19-year-old man died March 26, 2010, after apparently being electrocuted by a power line in a tree trimming incident in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Matthew Gamble, of Stuart, was trimming from a ladder, which apparently slipped and made contact with a power line, shocking him. Gamble’s father apparently freed the ladder from the power line before fire crews arrived. Gamble had been suspended from the ladder by some sort of safety belt or rope. Gamble wasn’t conscious or breathing before being taken to a hospital. He was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Lucie Medical Center, according to a www.tcpalm.com report.*
Trimmer hurt in fall
A 46-year-old climber working in Bradley County, Tennessee, was injured March 26, 2010, after a serious fall from a tree. Michael Kerr was listed in critical condition at Erlanger Medical Center.
Kerr had been 70 feet off the ground trimming the tree when the accident occurred.
Those on the scene afterward were checking out the harness that had been cut through, according to a WTVC-TV NewsChannel 9 report. In addition to the harness being cut with a chain saw, one of his ropes was also cut.
Witnesses on the scene said another safety rope saved Kerr from hitting the ground at full force and caused a bungee-like effect. Kerr, a self-employed tree worker, was suspended momentarily before two people were able to free him.
Man dies after cut tree falls on him
A 76-year-old man died March 27, 2010, after a tree he was cutting down fell on top of him in Gaston, North Carolina.
Harley Melton and family members had been cutting down trees in the southwestern part of Gaston County when the 50- to 60-foot tree fell on him, according to The Charlotte Observer. Fire and medical workers used chain saws to get the tree off Melton and tried to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a www.wtkr.com report.*
Man trimming tree falls, dies
A 36-year-old Jackson Center, Pennsylvania, man died March 27, 2010, after a fall from a tree in Sandy Lake, Pa., as he and some other men were trimming branches before trying to cut it down.
Steven E. Scott had climbed the tree and was trimming branches when he fell about 80 feet. One report said there was some kind of accident with a rope that Scott had been using to secure himself. Scott was taken by helicopter to St. Elizabeth Health Center in Youngstown, where he was pronounced dead, according The Herald of Sharon, Pa.
Man dies after branch falls on him
A 49-year-old Wisconsin man died after the tree branch he was cutting dropped onto his head March 27, 2010, in the Township of Clifton. The man was cutting a branch when it fell on him, according to a WQOW-TV report.
Two trimmers killed by tractor trailer
Two tree workers were killed when they were hit by a tractor trailer while walking in Mouthcard, Kentucky, March 29. 2010.
The tractor trailer had a mechanical problem, and the driver lost control while coming through an intersection. The driver made a turn to avoid hitting a building, but instead struck the two victims. The tractor trailer then overturned and went into a ditch, according to a WKYT-TV report. The tractor trailer was hauling mini excavators.
The two tree-trimming company employees were actually placing caution signs along the side of the road when they were hit. The driver of the truck was not injured in the crash.
Five injuries in tree truck crash
Three firefighters were among five people injured after a fire engine collided with a tree service truck on U.S. 280 in Birmingham, Alabama, March 29, 2010. None of the injuries appeared life-threatening.
The fire engine was on an emergency call when the crash happened. It was unclear what caused the fire engine to run off the embankment and a trailer hauled by the tree service truck to overturn, according to The Birmingham News.
* Items submitted by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, urban forester, City of Southfield, Michigan.
February 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the April 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man dies when tree falls on him
A Shelby County, Kentucky, farm worker was killed by a falling tree February 1, 2010. John Sergey, 50, was helping cut down the tree when he was pinned beneath it.
Another man was able to free Sergey and take him close to the roadway to meet the ambulance, but his injuries were just too severe, according to The Sentinel-News. Sergey had massive chest trauma.
Submitted by Dave Leonard of Lexington, Kentucky.
Chipper blamed in man’s death
A coroner says a worker for a southern Illinois tree service died in Marion, Illinois, when a piece of the chipper he was using flew off and hit him. Mark Davis, 46, of West Frankfort died February 11, 2010, at a hospital shortly after the accident.
Davis was working for D.S. Tree Service at a Marion home when the accident happened, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Trimmer dies in palm
A man died February 13, 2010, while trimming a palm in a Pasadena California.
Artemio Hernandez, 40, of Sun Valley, California, a private contractor, was suspended 50 feet in a palm tree when he was pinned by a ring of fronds, according to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
Gardener Jose Martinez says the trimmer shouted as he was struck by the fronds but then went silent. Firefighters determined the man was dead and covered him with a sheet as they worked to cut him free from a chain that tethered him to the tree. It took firefighters using a ladder truck about two hours to lower him to the ground.
Man falls 40 feet from tree
A 28-year-old man fell 40 feet from a tree at a residence in the Kenmure section of Flat Rock, North Carolina, on February 16, 2010. The man did sustain injuries, but not any obvious broken limbs, according to The Times-News of Hendersonville, N.C.
Brush cutter killed when machinery falls through ice
A worker clearing power lines in Anchorage, Alaska, died February 17, 2010, when his tree and brush cutting machine fell through the ice. It happened around 4:30 in the afternoon about a mile into the woods off of the Parks Highway.
Jack Forshee, 23, of Anchorage was killed when his Hydro-Ax machine broke through the ice of a pond and sank in about 15 feet of water, according to a KTUU-TV Channel 2 report. Ice had apparently blocked the doors and prevented the operator from getting out. Divers recovered Forshee’s body at around 6:30 that night.
A second Hydro-Ax also broke through the ice into shallow water, but the operator of that machine managed to escape.
Man dies in tree-cutting accident
A 66-year-old Hunter, New York, man died February 22, 2010, after being struck in the chest by a tree he had cut down on his property. Ivan Bolcek was discovered by his wife after he had been outside cutting down a tree on their property. The cut end of the tree had apparently kicked back toward Bolcek as it fell, inflicting crushing injuries. He suffered massive trauma to the chest, and was taken to Columbia Memorial Hospital where he later died, according to The Daily Mail.
Man dies after being hit by tree
Jason Williams, 39, of Vancouver, Washington, died March 8, 2010, the result of injuries suffered when he fell from and/or was hit by a tree he was taking down on February 24, 2010, in Vancouver. Williams had been in critical condition after suffering head trauma and facial lacerations after the top of the tree he was working on fell on him, according to reports in The Columbian.
When firefighters arrived, he had been freed from the tree and was straddling the trunk. He was transported to Southwest Washington Medical Center’s trauma center, but apparently needed to be put on life support at some point after being admitted. He was taken off life support March 8.
Williams was not a professional, but was performing tree work for a friend.
Snow-covered tree branch snaps, kills man in Central Park
A Brooklyn man walking through Central Park was killed February 25, 2010, when he was hit in the head by a snow-laden branch. Elmaz Qyra, 46, was found by a passerby on a promenade known as Literary Walk near E. 69th St.
By the time paramedics arrived, Qyra, of Dyker Heights, was dead, according to a Daily News report. The branch, about 20 feet long and 6 inches in diameter, fell from an American elm.
Submitted by Jon Stauffer of DeWitt, Michigan.
Man dies of while trimming tree
A Sherman, Texas, man was believed to have died of natural causes while trimming a tree February 25, 2010, at his home. Richard Dewayne Mackey, 47, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mackey was working with family to clear limbs from a large tree, its branches growing around electrical wires. Mackey, the owner of North Texas Tree Service, was in the tree; another person was on the roof at the property; and others were on the ground, according to a Herald Democrat report. The workers were sawing off limbs, then lowering them to the ground with a rope when, apparently, Mackey went into distress. The Fire Department rescuers had to shut down power before getting Mackey to the ground.
Two trimmers electrocuted by power line
Two Spartanburg, South Carolina, men died by electrocution February 28, 2010, when an extension ladder they were using to trim a tree at their home made contact with a power line. Positive identification could not be made until the next day due to the extent of the victims’ injuries. One was later identified as Chang V. Yang, the home-owner at the address.
The victims were removing limbs on a tree when the accident occurred. The passing motorist who reported the incident first thought he was witnessing a brush fire before realizing that two victims were involved. Firefighters had to stand by for more than 20 minutes until the power line could be disconnected, according to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal.
January 2010 Accident Briefs compiled for the March 2010 issue of Tree Care Industry Magazine.
Man killed cutting firewood
A man died January 1, 2010, in Malden, West Virginia, when a tree fell on him while he was cutting firewood. Stephen Crowder was using a chain saw to cut the tree and the tree came back on him, pinning him to the ground. Crowder’s brother-in-law was with him in the woods and called 911. Firefighters used airbags to lift the tree off of Crowder, according to a www.wsaz.com report.
* Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, City of Southfield, Michigan.
Trimmer injured when bucket hits power lines
A man working for a tree-trimming service in Middletown, Maryland, was seriously injured January 5, 2010, when the bucket in which he was working made contact with power lines,
Gregory Bostian, 46, of Thurmont, Md., was operating the bucket trimming a tree when a branch became caught in the controls of the bucket, according to The Herald-Mail. This caused the bucket to move toward nearby power lines. The bucket became entangled in a neutral line that was just below 7,200-volt power lines, then moved up into the power lines.
Bostian was flown by helicopter to a Baltimore medical center following the incident, but his injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
Farmer killed cutting tree
A Marion County, Misouri, grain and livestock farmer was killed January 11, 2010, while cutting a tree on his farm about 10 miles northwest of Palmyra.
Duane L. Peuster, 62, of Palmyra, was alone in a pasture about a half-mile from the nearby road, according to a www.whig.com report. He had topped the tree and then cut off the large tree at the trunk. The 12-foot log apparently started to roll down a slight incline and hit Peuster, probably killing him instantly. He was found by a family member. He was pronounced dead at the scene.*
Worker killed removing tree
A tree worker was killed January 14, 2010, when he fell from a tree that he was hired to remove at a home in North Richland Hills, Texas.
Bobby Gaddy, 46, of Saginaw, Texas, was hired to remove a tree in the front yard of a one-story home. The tree was about 30 to 40 feet high, with a base of about 30 inches. He was part of a four-man crew on the job, according to the Starr-Telegram of Forth Worth.
They apparently made cuts at the base of the tree before realizing that some higher limbs could fall on the house. Gaddy got on a ladder, about 15 feet off the ground, and started cutting away the limbs. Suddenly, the tree snapped at the base and fell. Gaddy was knocked from the ladder and pinned under the tree. He died from his injuries.
Arborist falls to death
The owner of a Canadian tree business plummeted at least 36 feet to his death January 20, 2010, while felling a tree in Peterborough, Ontario.
William Robinson, 60, was tied-in high up in the maple and had made a v-notch (face cut). But the tree was actually rotten where he had tied in, so when the pressure was put on the winch to pull it in the direction of the notch, it just snapped off, the victim’s son and co-worker reported. The elder Robinson was tied to the piece that fell, so it drove him down, Bill Robinson Jr. told The Peterborough Examiner. Robinson was an experienced arborist who started the family business in 1977.
A homeowner had called the company to remove what they had said was a dangerous tree.
Worker injured by fall, power line
A worker in Palm Beach, Florida, was injured January 19, 2010, after falling off a ladder and hitting a power. The middle-age man was trimming a palm when he fell about 10 feet. He was reported breathing and conscious with wounds on his hands, shins and ankles from contact with the live power line, according to the Palm Beach Daily News.*
Firefighters rescue trapped trimmer
Firefighters in Cerritos, California, rescued a tree trimmer who became trapped in a 60-foot palm January 27, 2010. Rescue crews used a ladder to get to the man, who had become trapped by giant palm fronds and was losing consciousness. It took firefighters about an hour to rescue the worker. He was loaded onto a basket and carried down the rescue ladder. The man was taken by ambulance to the hospital with serious injuries, according to a www.ktla.com report.*
Two injured in car/truck accident
Two people were injured in a car crash in Rockland, Maine, January 29, 2010, when a driver lost control of a vehicle on the icy road and it spun into a parked tree-trimming truck. The driver of an older model Jeep Wagoneer lost control and hit the tree truck. Two people had minor back and neck pain and were taken to Penobscot Bay Medical Center. A person in the bucket of the tree truck was not injured, according to the Bangor Daily News.*
* Sent in by Paul M. Mautz, CTSP, City of Southfield, Michigan.
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