The man was trapped 50 feet high in the tree.
Emergency crews responded to the scene near the 3600 block of Bonita Verde Drive after the incident was reported at approximately 11:20 a.m., Josh Sanders, a spokesperson for the Chula Vista Fire Department, told SFGATE Thursday.
Sanders said the man’s co-workers discovered he had been trapped in his own climbing harness while underneath the dead palm tree skirt, or the dried fronds hanging from the trunk. They attempted to free him and called 911. When police and fire personnel arrived, they sent a rescue technician into the 65- to 70-foot-tall tree and used two aerial ladders to remove the victim, but he was not breathing.
The man was identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office as Bardomiano Bautista-Perez, 39. He had a wife and two children, according to a GoFundMe created for his surviving family members. “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 Fire Department Battalion Chief Tim Mehrer told
. Data obtained by the outlet from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that 68 tree trimmers in California died on the job between 2011 and 2021.shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 suggested that the drought in the western U.S. may have exacerbated the on-the-job hazard,"as lack of water has led to palm trees heavy with fronds, creating the potential to crush workers who are trimming the trees from underneath the palm fronds.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
F1 Champ Jenson Button’s Palm Springs Estate Just Hit the Market for $2.5 MillionJenson Button's luxurious Palm Springs estate is available for a cool $2.5 million. Designed by John Porter Clark in the 1940s–this Spanish Colonial estate is perfect for anyone who cherishes California living.
Read more »
Tree trimmer pinned, killed by palm fronds in Bonita identifiedBardomiano Bautista-Perez was trapped when dead palm fronds fell on him at a residence on Bonita Verde Drive
Read more »
Where to Visit, Eat and Stay During Palm Springs Modernism WeekAs the 11-day design and architecture fest kicks off, here are the best new restaurants and hotels to check out and check into in the desert.
Read more »
Borrego Health plans to sell its clinics to Palm Springs-based providerThe selection of DAP Health, which still needs a bankruptcy court's approval, comes more than two years after federal agents raided Borrego Health clinics and offices.
Read more »
California woman accidentally runs over, kills would-be catalytic converter thief: copsA California woman accidentally ran over and killed a man police said had been trying to steal her catalytic converter Tuesday. The unidentified woman was sleeping inside her Ford Excursion in the …
Read more »