Falls
Minor injuries suspected when aerial lift tips
An aerial lift being used for line-clearance tree trimming tipped over January 6, 2022, on the shoulder of a road in Hayden, Idaho, taking down power lines and causing a power outage to about 200 homes. It is presumed the operator sustained at least minor injuries crashing into a wooded area, according to a TCIA […]
Climber killed in fall
A climber died after falling from a tree he was working on October 20, 2021, in Orinda, California. Fire department personnel responded to a call for a person who fell from an elevated position while trimming a tall tree. The victim was declared dead at the scene. It was unclear what caused the fall, according […]
Homeowner hurt in fall while cutting limb
A homeowner was injured when he fell while cutting a limb from a tree on September 23, 2021, in East Alton, Illinois. The man was attempting to cut a tree limb down when the limb fell, taking the homeowner with it. The man fell 10 to 15 feet, and the tree limb landed on top […]
Lift operator dies in fall from bucket
An aerial-lift operator from Tennessee died September 15, 2021, in the Page Community of Bell County, Kentucky, when he fell from the bucket he was using while doing tree work at a residence. Brian Terrence Parker, 54, of Tazewell, Tenn., owner of Parker Tree Company, was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers on scene determined […]
Operator dies when lift’s boom fails
An aerial-lift operator died while trimming trees on August 16, 2021, in Douglas, Michigan, after the upper boom of the tracked lift he was using apparently failed. The upper-boom arm broke off and the bucket fell from a height of at least 40 feet onto the cement approach to a garage. The operator, a 50-year-old […]
STRUCK BY OR AGAINST
TV personality injured in struck-by
Kentucky woodsman and TV personality Ernie Brown, Jr., better known as “The Turtleman,” was recovering after he was injured by a falling tree limb on March 15, 2022, in Lebanon, Kentucky.
One killed, one injured by a cut tree
One worker was killed and another injured when a tree they were cutting fell the wrong way and struck them on March 9, 2022, in Omaha, Nebraska.
Man injured cutting fallen tree
A man was critically injured on February 25, 2022, in Greene County, Tennessee, while trying to clear a fallen tree from a roadway.
Homeowner killed by limb cut by tree workers
A homeowner was struck and killed by a limb on February 20, 2022, in Brown Deer, Wisconsin, while a crew was doing tree work outside his home.
Climber hurt in struck-by
A climber was injured after being struck by a free-falling limb during a crane operation on February 14, 2022, in a town in Massachusetts.
CAUGHT IN OR UNDER
Operator hurt in lift failure
A tree worker was hospitalized with two broken legs and other injuries after an incident involving an aerial-lift truck on March 25, 2022, in Braintree, Massachusetts.
Worker killed in a wood chipper
A worker was killed in an incident involving a wood chipper on March 16, 2022, in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada.
Tree worker killed by falling mud mats
A tree worker was killed on February 23, 2022, in Barryville, NY, when several ground-protection mats he was stacking fell on him.
Man dies after pinned by cut tree
A tree worker was killed on November 3, 2021, after becoming pinned under a large tree in Henrico County, Virginia. Roberto LaMotte, 45, was working for a tree care company attempting to remove a 50-foot-tall tree at a private property when he became trapped under the cut tree. He died at the scene while first […]
Operator killed in chipper
A chipper operator died October 18, 2021, in West Bloomfield, Michigan, reportedly after a gauntlet-style glove or the jacket he was wearing snagged on a branch and he was pulled partway into the machine. The man, 48, was part of a crew working at a private residence, but nobody witnessed the incident. Police were called […]
ELECTRIC SHOCK OR BURN
Groundworker electrocuted
A groundworker was electrocuted during tree-trimming operations on March 1, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin.
Lift operator electrocuted, co-worker injured
A lift operator was electrocuted and a co-worker injured while trimming trees on October 26, 2021, in Abilene, Texas. Alan James Maxey, 31, was killed and a 24-year-old male was injured while working for a local tree-trimming company at a home. The 24-year-old, who was not identified, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. First responders were […]
Lift operator electrocuted, son hurt
The operator of an aerial lift was electrocuted and his son was injured while trying to rescue him on October 1, 2021, in Melbourne Beach, Florida. The man was in the bucket of a lift working for a tree-trimming service when he accidentally made contact with an electric line while trimming trees behind a residence. […]
Bucket operator electrocuted
An aerial-lift operator was electrocuted on September 28, 2021, in Pleasant Springs, Wisconsin, when the bucket he was standing in came into contact with a power line. The man was taken to UW (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Hospital, where he later died, according to a WMTV report.
Compact-lift operator electrocuted
A tree and landscape worker was electrocuted on September 8, 2021, in Northborough, Massachusetts, when the compact lift he was using while trimming trees came into contact with a power line. First responders found the lift in contact with high-voltage electrical lines, which were energized, and the operator, a 25-year-old man, was not responsive. It […]
RESCUE
Climber rescued after trapped in palm fronds
A tree trimmer who became trapped upside down in palm fronds was rescued by fellow climbers on January 5, 2021, in Escondido, California. The man, who was wearing a harness, became wedged in the tree skirt after large fronds fell on him. He was in distress and screaming for help. The Escondido fire department was […]
Climber rescued from tree after dark
Firefighters helped a climber to safety on August 19, 2021, in Ionia County, Mich., after the climber became stuck in a tree about 30 feet above the ground. Ronald Township firefighters determined the tree trimmer was pinned in the tree by a large limb that had partially fallen. Crews from the Ionia Department of Public […]
Operator rescued from stuck lift
An aerial-lift operator for a tree-service company was brought to safety in Waltham, Massachusetts, on August 17, 2021, after being stranded in the bucket by a hydraulic failure. Firefighters were called to perform technical rescue after the hydraulics failed on the man’s truck, leaving him stuck dozens of feet in the air. No injuries were […]
Climber rescued from spar
A climber was rescued by firefighters on July 7, 2021, in Fredenberg, Minnesota, after he cut the top off a Norway pine and it somehow became caught in his harness, trapping him 40 to 50 feet up on the spar of the tree. The rescue was a group effort. The Fredenberg Volunteer Fire Department, in […]
Man rescued from tree
A man was rescued from more than 50 feet up in a tree on June 17, 2021, in Springfield, Massachusetts, and it was reported he may have been up in the tree for at least a day. The Springfield Fire Department was called at around 5 a.m., but their bucket truck wasn’t able to reach […]
