Falls
Worker injured in jump from burning bucket truck
Police, firefighters and paramedics in Arlington Heights, Illinois, responded to a report of a truck fire next to a house July 21, 2022. They arrived to find an aerial-lift tree truck on fire in the backyard of a single-family residence, and an injured tree trimmer. The fire involved the truck cab and was quickly extinguished. […]
Lift operator dies in fall
A tree-company owner died July 13, 2022, in Opelousas, Louisiana, after falling from the lift he was operating. Kevin Thomas, 50, of Opelousas, had been contracted by the city to trim some trees. He was working on what appeared to be dead trees on city-owned property when he fell, according to a KATC Channel 3 […]
Worker dies in fall from tree
A man died after falling from a tree he was cutting July 9, 2022, in Adams County, Mississippi. Clyde Bernard, 60, of Natchez, Miss., was reportedly wearing safety gear at the time of the fall, according to a report in the Natchez Democrat.
Tree worker killed in fall
A tree worker was killed after falling from a tree he was cutting May 31, 2022, in Pocatello, Idaho. Darin Williams, 35, of Pocatello, was up in a tree using a chain saw to cut down branches. He was more than 15 feet off the ground when he fell onto the street below and suffered […]
Climber killed in fall
A man died May 13, 2022, in Penn Yan, Yates County, New York, after falling 50 to 60 feet from a tree. Ryan Rector, 27, of Naples, N.Y., was working on a tree-trimming job for his company, Hillside Logging and Tree Service, when the fall occurred. Rector was pronounced dead at the scene, according to […]
STRUCK BY OR AGAINST
Man dies from struck-by injuries
A worker died after being struck by a cut limb while clearing trees July 22, 2022, in Stonecrest, Georgia. Workers were clearing a treed lot in preparation for construction when a branch came down on the victim. By the time fire rescue arrived, the man’s co-workers had lifted the huge branch off of him. Firefighters […]
Property owner injured in struck-by
A man sustained injuries July 19, 2022, after a tree pinned him to his tractor in White Oak, North Carolina. It was unclear exactly what happened that caused the tree to fall onto the tractor, but it is believed the man was trying to relocate the tree with the tractor after it had been cut […]
Homeowner dies in struck-by
John Kennedy, 53, of North Aurora, Illinois, died from injuries he sustained in a fall July 14, 2022, while trimming trees on his property. Kennedy fell and a tree branch fell on top of him, according to a shawlocal.com report.
Man seriously injured in struck-by
A man was hospitalized with severe in-juries July 12, 2022, after a tree he was cutting fell on him in Bangor Township, Michigan. Responding sheriff’s deputies found the 25-year-old local man had been helping a friend cut down a dead ash tree when the tree fell on him, according to an mlive.com report.
Police detective killed in struck-by
An Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department detective was killed when a tree branch fell on him while he was working at his cabin June 17, 2022, in Heltonville, Indiana. A neighbor called 911 after discovering the accident. Anthony Farrell was clearing brush from his property in Heltonville when his tractor apparently became tangled in some vines, […]
CAUGHT IN OR UNDER
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.
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 […]
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
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 […]
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 […]
