Climber rescued from palm

A climber trimming a palm was rescued by firefighters May 6, 2021, in Spring Valley, California, after becoming stuck in a palm-frond skirt 70 feet up.

Just before 7 p.m., residents reported hearing the worker yelling for help from the top of a palm after his leg had become stuck in the skirt of fronds. Responding rescue crews worked for more than an hour hacking away at palm fronds and cutting through the worker’s metal harness.

“You could see the tree bowing and shaking during the operation, and fronds were falling, so we wanted to make sure the tree didn’t snap during the rescue as well,” Justin Fuller, San Miguel Fire & Rescue battalion chief, told ABC 10News.

Crews eventually freed the tree trimmer and brought him down in a basket. The worker suffered an injury to his right leg and was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center for treatment, according to the ABC 10News report.

Tree faller killed in struck-by

A worker clearing land was killed by a falling tree May 12, 2021, in Waterford, Maine.

Michael Truman, 50, of Harrison, Maine, was part of a crew with an excavation company clearing brush and falling trees. Harrison apparently cut a tree and the treetop detached and fell on him, hitting him in the head.

Truman was declared dead at the scene from traumatic head injuries, according to a WCSH 6 report.

Worker hurt in struck-by

A tree-service worker was reported injured on a job May 13, 2021, in Stanwood, Michigan.

A struck-by incident caused a back injury that required a response by EMTs, according to a report directly to TCIA staff from a TCIA member.

Worker cut self with chain saw

A worker was hospitalized after cutting his arm with a chain saw while cutting trees May 14, 2021, in Wayland, Massachusetts.

A state trooper working a detail for the tree work on Route 20 applied a tourniquet and provided medical aid to the 31-year-old man. The worker was taken by ambulance to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with injuries that were believed to be non-life-threatening, according to a WHDH TV 7 News report.

Tree worker injured in fall off chipper

A worker was injured when he fell off a chipper while doing tree work May 17, 2021, at the U.S. Navy’s Camp McKean in Bremerton, Washington.

The tree-service employee was standing on top of the chipper attempting to get something off of it when he fell, suffering multiple broken ribs and a brain contusion.

The worker was taken to Tacoma General Hospital for treatment, but was later discharged and was at home resting, according to a Kitsap Sun report.

Homeowner dies from chain-saw cut

A man died May 22, 2021, in Mystic, Connecticut, after cutting himself with a chain saw while cutting trees on his property.

Alan McConnell, 63, of New London, Conn., suffered a laceration to his left leg as he was cutting tree limbs in the yard. Neighbors found him unresponsive and performed CPR until first responders arrived. He was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to an article in The Day and a Connecticut Post report.

This incident was brought to our attention by Jim Morrow, an arborist based in Storrs, Conn.

Lift operator shocked

An aerial-lift operator received a shock after making contact with a power line while trimming trees May 24, 2021, in Clarkfield, Minnesota.

Bradley Charles Kneisl, 30, of Paynesville, Minn., was in the bucket trimming trees at the time, and the electricity had to be turned off before first responders were able to provide first aid.

Kneisl was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center via helicopter. Neither his condition nor the severity of his injuries was immediately available, according to a report on bringmethenews.com.

Climber injured in struck-by

A climber was injured in a struck-by incident while removing a tree May 25, 2021, in Franklin, New Hampshire.

The climber was removing the tree in sections when a section apparently fell in an unintended direction, striking him as well as a trailer, according to a NH Statewide Fire Alerts System Facebook post.