Palm fronds collapsed onto a tree trimmer, killing the man as he was working to remove them from the top of a tall tree in a neighborhood near the Chula Vista Golf Course in Bonita, authorities reported.
The fatal accident occurred shortly before 11:30 a.m. in the front yard of a home in the 3600 block of Bonita Verde Drive in Bonita, according to the Chula Vista Fire Department.
When emergency personnel arrived, the 39-year-old victim's co-workers were trying to free him from the heavy foliage that had pinned him to the palm tree about 50 feet off the ground, CVFD Capt. Josh Sanders said.
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When firefighters got to the trapped man via a large ladder, they discovered that he had succumbed to his injuries, Sanders said. It took them about a half-hour to free his body from the fronds, the captain said.
Tree trimming can be dangerous if palm fronds fall on the tree trimmer.
“We have seen this in the past with these palm fronds falling on these tree trimmers and it is something that is relatively unique to certain types of palm trees,” Chula Vista Battalion Chief Tim Mehrer said.
The victim's name was withheld pending family notification.
