Falls
Two men killed in fall from aerial lift
Two men were killed when they fell from the bucket or basket of an aerial lift while trimming trees January 11, 2025, in Galesville, Wisconsin. Douglas B. Poss, 63, of Menomonee Falls, and Ryan D. Poss, 61, of Winneconne, were in the lift when it tipped. The lift was on a slight slope, which caused […]
Bucket operator seriously injured in fall
A bucket operator was seriously injured in a fall January 7, 2025, in Waupaca, Wisconsin. The bucket operator was reportedly working without fall protection when the saw became lodged in the tree. As the crane operator over-tensioned, the pick popped off the spar. The cutter held on to the stuck saw and was lifted out […]
Worker seriously injured in fall
A tree-company owner was seriously injured in a fall December 18, 2024, in Issaquah, Washington. Dustin Gerstner, of Bothell, Wash., and a 15-year arborist, was 20 feet up in a large cedar he planned to cut. He moved to a neighboring maple for safety and reported that he was watching the cedar when he felt […]
Climber killed in fall
A tree-company owner was killed in a fall December 13, 2024, in an area near the Susquehanna River in York County, Pennsylvania. Shawnathan Winters, 40, of Dover, Pa., had climbed a tree and was making a cut when he apparently nicked his climbing rope and fell. His crew performed CPR for 45 minutes until EMS […]
Operator dies in fall from bucket
An aerial-lift operator died after the truck he was operating overturned, causing him to fall 40-50 feet, landing in a creek, November 21, 2024, in Anderson County, South Carolina. Daniel Christopher Brown Sr., 51, of Anderson, was self-employed and had rented the bucket truck for the job. It was not secured properly, causing it to […]
STRUCK BY OR AGAINST
Motorist hurt when cut tree strikes car
A motorist was injured when a large tree felled by a tree crew dropped into the street, striking her passing vehicle January 26, 2025, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Firefighters built cribbing to lift the tree off the car pinned beneath it so the driver could be evacuated. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital with […]
Man crushed under root plate
A college student helping a property owner clear storm-felled trees died January 25, 2025, in Anderson, South Carolina, after being crushed under the root plate of one of the trees. Ethan Alexander Ackerman, 20, of Central, S.C., and two friends, one of whom was the property owner, were clearing an area where several large trees […]
Man killed by tree branch
A man was killed after being struck by a tree branch January 4, 2025, in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Dwight Johnson, 50, of Lawrenceburg, and three of his sons were working on a project when he spotted a branch in the way. While trying to pull the branch out of the way, it broke loose and hit […]
Loader operator killed by tree
A loader operator was struck and killed by a tree November 18, 2024, in Covington, Georgia. Jeffrey Marcellus Smith, 54, of Covington, was helping a homeowner clear a wooded area. Smith was inside a Bobcat when he was struck in the chest by a tree he was clearing. He was pronounced dead at the scene, […]
Worker injured in struck-by
A tree worker was injured by a falling limb or tree while felling a tree November 4, 2024, in Asheville, North Carolina. A contracted tree crew was cutting a tree at the Biltmore Estate when it fell into another tree, and the second tree struck one of the workers. The worker was initially trapped under […]
CAUGHT IN OR UNDER
Tree worker killed in chipper incident
A tree worker was killed when he was pulled into a woodchipper January 28, 2025, in Ocean Ridge, Fla. The man was an employee of a tree company working on the property of the town hall and the police department when the incident occurred, according to a WPEC 24 News report.
Climber dies under palm fronds
A worker died when he was trapped 30 feet up while trimming palm fronds October 17, 2024, in Bakersfield, California. Firefighters worked for more than two hours to remove the heavy fronds from Fermin U. Ortiz Leiva, 55, but he had already died, according to a KGET report
Man pinned, injured by cut tree
A man was injured when his leg was trapped under a cut tree August 31, 2024, in Camden County, New Jersey. First responders freed the man, and he was transported to a local hospital by flight medics, according to a Gloucester Township Daily Voice report
Worker injured when lift overturns
A worker was trapped when the compact lift he was operating overturned August 24, 2024, in Port Republic, Md. The 29-year-old worker was transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries, according to an smnewsnet.com report.
Worker killed in chipper accident
A worker was killed in a chipper-related accident July 10, 2024, in Flemington, New Jersey. Eonias Mateo-Perez, 22, of Flemington, was operating a chipper at a local cemetery when the incident occurred, according to a WFMZ-TV report.
ELECTRIC SHOCK OR BURN
Man electrocuted
A man was killed when his saw touched power lines January 18, 2025, in La Joya, Texas. Vincente Morgado, 54, of La Joya, was trimming trees on the grounds of a church when the incident occurred, according to a Daily Caller report.
Two workers injured by electricity
Two public-works employees were injured January 9, 2025, in Waukegan, Illinois, when a truck’s crane boom came in contact with power lines. The two tree workers were part of a public-works crew working in the area when one of the trucks, equipped with a crane, touched a power line. The power line energized the truck, […]
Worker seriously injured by electric shock
A worker on the ground was seriously injured when he received an electric shock from an energized aerial-lift truck while clearing trees December 10, 2024, in Newport, Tennessee. Jonathan Lane was walking around the truck when he came into contact with the truck after the truck’s boom had accidentally touched the power line. Co-workers performed […]
Man electrocuted
A man was killed when the pole saw he was using to cut a branch from a tree contacted a power line November 2, 2024, in Elbridge Township, Michigan. Witnesses were able to get the man, 53, from Hart, Mich., down from the tree, and first responders began CPR, but he was pronounced dead at […]
Tree worker electrocuted
A tree worker died of electrocution when a branch of the tree he was working on contacted a live wire September 21, 2024, in Alexandria, Virginia. The worker was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a WTOP News report.
RESCUE
Tree worker rescued from fall into crevice
A tree worker was rescued after falling 100 feet into a crevice January 29, 2025, in Bloomington, New York. The worker was part of a crew clearing trees along power lines when a branch broke and knocked him into the crevice. He suffered leg injuries and was treated by co-workers, who used ropes to descend […]
Lift operator rescued from bucket
A tree worker was rescued from a bucket truck January 14, 2025, in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. The aerial-lift operator was performing tree work in a neighborhood when the bucket appeared to malfunction. The fire department provided rescue equipment, and the worker was able to attach himself to a rope before being lowered to the ground, according […]
Worker rescued from bucket truck
A tree worker was rescued from the bucket of an aerial-lift truck December 31, 2024, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. A hydraulic line on the truck ruptured, causing the man to be stranded at height. Firefighters were able to extend their truck ladder and rescue the bucket operator, according to a FOX 25 News report.
Worker rescued from tree
A climber was rescued after getting trapped by branches November 9, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. Dallas Fire-Rescue crews had to cut branches in order to position an aerial ladder to reach the worker. The climber then was able to descend the ladder with the aid of technicians and was not taken to the hospital, according […]
Tree worker rescued after equipment failure
Firefighters were called to rescue a tree worker from 40 feet up August 23, 2024, in Los Angeles, California. The call reported a worker with an unknown medical condition, but upon arrival it was discovered that the 26-year-old worker was stuck in a dangerous position due to an equipment malfunction, according to a hoodline.com report.
