Tree trimmer in Phoenix dies after getting trapped under palm fronds

PHOENIX — A professional palm tree trimmer died Tuesday morning in Phoenix after getting trapped under palm fronds, authorities said.

According to the Phoenix Fire Department, officials were called to the scene after a man, who was not identified, became trapped under hundreds of pounds of palm fronds, KNXV reported.

The tree was in the “backyard of a home that hired the individual,” Capt. Rob McDade, a Phoenix Fire Department spokesperson, told The Arizona Republic.

The son of the tree trimmer called 911, but fire officials were unable to revive the man, who was 20 feet above the ground, KNXV reported. He was pronounced dead at the scene, McDade told the Republic.

Fire officials believe the man suffocated underneath the weight of the palm fronds before he could be rescued, according to KNXV.

No further information has been released. The case is being investigated by the Phoenix Police Department, the television station reported.

Cox Media Group