A 59-year-old man from East County was killed last week cutting down a tree, and a horrified family member watched the whole thing happen, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office.
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Officials said Gary Zing was home last Wednesday morning when he told relatives he was going out to cut a tree down near his home in the 1950 block of Altozano Drive in El Cajon. Zing then went out near his backyard and began a FaceTime conversation with a family member, showing them him trimming branches off the tree.
Then, shortly after 11 a.m., Zing was seen by a family member on FaceTime going down a hill, where part of tree, which was on land belonging to the Fletcher Hills Highland Association, subsequently fell on him.
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According to the HOA website, the association regularly cuts down trees as part of their abatement since they are considered to be "fire ladders." Zing is still listed on the HOA website as its board of directors secretary and the chair of its architectural review committee.
Zing suffered multiple blunt force injuries when he was impacted by the tree, according to the ME's office.
