A climber was rescued by first responders on November 5, 2020, in Clayton County, Georgia, after he became pinned in a tree by a rigging line.
Responding officers found two tree workers in the backyard of a home, including the one pinned from ankle to torso by a rope being held taut by a large tree limb it was attached to. The limb was hinged over but still attached to the tree.
Officers acquired two ladders from a neighboring residence. One ladder was used to gain access to the steel-reinforced rope so it could be cut with bolt cutters. The second ladder was used to gain access to the climber so that when the steel rope was cut, he would not fall and further injure himself. When the steel rope was cut, the arborist was freed from the tree.
It still took some time before Clayton County Fire and Emergency Services could remove him, due to the injuries he sustained from being suspended in the tree. During the investigation, officers learned the arborist had been stuck in the tree for approximately 30 minutes before anyone called emergency services, according to a report in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
