Falls
Climber hurt in fall
Dayde Collins of Provo, Utah, fell 40 feet when the branch he was using as an anchor on a job broke September 26, 2022, in Provo, according to a Fox 13 news report. According to the family’s GoFundMe page, Collins had surgery after the accident but still did not have feeling from his chest down. […]
Man dies in fall
A man died after falling from a ladder while cutting trees September 17, 2022, in McCalla, Alabama. The man, 56, from McCalla, was cutting limbs when one of the cut limbs struck the ladder, causing him to fall. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a patch.com report.
Operator dies in fall from bucket
An aerial-lift operator died August 30, 2022, in Ross County, Ohio, after falling from an aerial-lift bucket while trimming trees. Emergency crews responding to the report of a man who fell from a bucket truck found Floyd Gillum, 76, of Chillicothe, Ohio, on the ground, unresponsive and not breathing. Gillum was pronounced dead from injuries […]
Operator dies after fall from lift
An aerial-lift operator died August 23, 2022, after he fell 20 feet from a bucket truck while performing line clearance in Huntington, New York. Edis Rene Maldonado, 40, of Copiague, N.Y., was working for a company subcontracted to PSEG Long Island when he fell from the extended bucket as he trimmed trees near utility lines […]
Man dies after fall with chain saw
A man died after falling from a ladder while cutting a tree limb with a chain saw August 7, 2022, in Clay Township, Ohio. Donald W. Braun, II, 66, of Newcomerstown, Ohio, was injured by the chain saw when he fell. Responding EMTs and firefighters/paramedics attempted to treat and stabilize Braun, who was transported to […]
STRUCK BY OR AGAINST
Man killed in struck-by
A man was killed September 29, 2022, in Pike County, Ohio, when a tree he had been cutting fell on top of him. First responders pronounced him dead on the scene, according to a Scioto Valley Guardian report.
Tree worker killed by falling limb
A worker with a tree-trimming service died September 27, 2022, in Portland, Oregon, when a large limb fell, striking him during a job. The worker died at the scene. No additional information was available, according to a KOIN news report.
Property owner killed cutting limbs from ladder
Chenping Ni, 58, of Naperville, Illinois, died September 22, 2022, while cutting limbs from a ladder on his property in Morris, Ill. A cut limb came back and knocked Ni off of the ladder, causing him to fall to the ground. Ni was transported to the Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers where he was pronounced […]
Man killed in struck-by
A Crawford, New York, man was killed September 19, 2022, when a rotting tree he was cutting in his yard fell on him. Responding state troopers administered CPR to no avail, according to a North Orange Daily Voice report.
Homeowner injured in struck-by
A man was seriously hurt in a tree-cutting accident September 18, 2022, in Vienna, Ohio. The Vienna man was cutting a branch that was under tension and, as it was cut through, the tension released and the branch struck the man in the head. The man suffered a deep cut on his head with arterial […]
CAUGHT IN OR UNDER
Man trapped overnight in tree
A man was taken to the hospital on the morning of August 30, 2022, in Lebanon, Connecticut, after being trapped overnight in a tree following a tree-cutting accident the night before. Investigators believe the man was stuck overnight before freeing himself to go inside and call 911. Emergency crews were called to the home in […]
Teenager killed in woodchipper accident
A teenager working for a tree service died after being injured while working with a woodchipper August 9, 2022, in North Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. A homeowner told Action News he hired a tree company to take down 10 trees. Isiah Bedocs , 17, of Coplay Borough, Pa., died after part of the teen’s […]
Worker dies in woodchipper accident
A worker was taken to the hospital and later died after getting pinned under a woodchipper July 14, 2022, in Troy, Michigan. Two men were working on a woodchipper when one of them got pinned underneath it. The chipper was not turned on at the time, according to a clickondetroit.com report.
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.
ELECTRIC SHOCK OR BURN
Tree trimmer shocked
A man was hospitalized in critical condition after he suffered an electric shock while trimming a tree at a house July 24, 2022, in unincorporated Tustin, California. Responding firefighters heard landscapers in a tree yelling for help after one of them contacted electrical wires. The men were holding a man who was unresponsive. The firefighters […]
Landscaper dies in lightning strike
A landscaper died July 23, 2022, four days after being struck by lightning while mowing a lawn or trimming a tree in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. Julio Ceasar Lopez, 27, did not have a pulse and was not breathing after being struck July 19. His family said he spent four days in the hospital before […]
Lift operator electrocuted
A lift operator died after he was electrocuted June 16, 2022, while doing tree work at a home in Fridley, Minnesota. Johnny Lee Coleman Cotton, of Minneapolis, was working with a private company removing a tree when his chain saw or the branch he was cutting struck a power line. After the lift was lowered, […]
Climber electrocuted
A climber was electrocuted when he apparently contacted power lines while doing tree work June 3, 2022, in Fairfax, Virginia. First responders found the man still suspended by a rope 25 feet up. Rescuers were quickly able to free the man from the ropes. He was then taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to […]
Groundworker electrocuted
A groundworker was electrocuted during tree-trimming operations on March 1, 2022, in Madison, Wisconsin.
RESCUE
Climber rescued after slipping from safety harness
A climber doing tree work was rescued in a Las Vegas neighborhood after slipping from a safety harness while suspended 35 feet in the air August 5, 2022. Las Vegas Fire & Rescue and crews from Clark County and North Las Vegas fire departments responded. The arborist was rescued without serious injuries within 20 minutes […]
Lift operator rescued from bucket
Firefighters in Del Ray Beach, Florida, rescued a worker who found himself stuck in a bucket while trimming trees after his truck caught fire July 23, 2022. The worker was near the top of a tree he was trimming when the truck caught fire. The fire moved from the truck toward the bucket, but firefighters […]
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 […]
