Tree trimmer rescued from 50-foot palm tree in Phoenix
The Brief
Rescue teams had to help rescue a man from a 50-foot palm tree.
He was working as a tree trimmer when authorities say a tree skirt fell on him, leaving him unresponsive.
Rescue teams used a rope system and drone technology to help lower the man from the tree.
PHOENIX - A tree trimmer had to be rescued from a 50-foot palm tree after a tree skirt fell on him, leaving the man unresponsive.
He was taken to the hospital in extremely critical condition.
"They thought they had their safety precautions in place and then next thing you know, 911 was called and we went to work," said Phoenix Fire Captain Scott Douglas. "They can fall down and they can trap the tree trimmer around his waist. They can trap their chest where they're not able to get full respirations and they can't essentially breathe. I don't know if that's what happened here, but they did use chainsaws to be able to freeze some of that dead skirt that was up there some of the dead foliage and be able to put the ladder truck right at his location and secure him and pull him off the tree."
What we know
Rope systems and drone technology were used to help extricate the man off the tree in west Phoenix.
They also need chainsaws and a ladder truck to cut the palm fronds down and lower the man.
The incident happened around 9:30 a.m. near the intersection of 67th Avenue and Thomas Road.
Local perspective
A neighbor said that it looked like the tree had never been trimmed before.
"He was working around and pulling the palm fronds out," said Richard.
"I heard some yelling and then there was nothing after that."
Richard has lived there for more than 50 years.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
29 minutes ago
- CBS News
1 arrested, 7 ejected at Wydad AC-Juventus FIFA Club World Cup match after fans spotted setting off smoke bombs
A juvenile was arrested for assaulting an officer, and seven people were ejected after Wydad AC fans were seen setting off smoke bombs at Lincoln Financial Field during the FIFA Club World Cup on Sunday, Philadelphia police said. Wydad, which is based in Morocco, was taking on Juventus in a group stage match when the smoke bombs went off in a section of the Linc. Wydad fans also set off the smoke bombs during last Wednesday's match against Manchester City in South Philly. A representative from FIFA told CBS News Philadelphia that smoke bombs are not allowed at their events. Lincoln Financial Field also has a strict bag policy. Fans are permitted to bring the following kinds of bags into the stadium: clear bags within a certain measurement range, a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag or a small clutch-style bag that is around the size of a hand. Juventus defeated Wydad in Sunday's group stage match, 4-1. Smoke billows near Wydad AC fans during the FIFA Club World Cup match between Juventus FC and Wydad AC at Lincoln Financial Field on June 22, 2025 in Philadelphia Mohamed Tageldin/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images The FIFA Club World Cup, which is in the city a year before Philly hosts 2026 World Cup matches, will resume on Tuesday when Esperance de Tunis takes on Chelsea. Soccer fans from all over the world have invaded Philadelphia since the FIFA Club World Cup began last week.
CBS News
35 minutes ago
- CBS News
Colorado Springs police shoot, kill suspect who fired on officers, police say
Police in Colorado Springs said officers shot and killed a suspect who fired at them. The shooting happened early Monday morning at an apartment complex in the 1400 block of Michelle Court. Colorado Springs police say they shot and killed a suspect who shot at officers early Monday morning. CBS Officers said they were called to the apartment complex just after 1 a.m. Monday for shots fired. When police arrived, they found an adult male with a gun. Officers said they ordered the man to drop the weapon, but instead, the man raised the gun toward officers and fired at least one shot. Police in Colorado Springs shot and killed a suspect who they say fired a gun at officers early Monday morning. CBS According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, at least two officers fired at least one shot each, hitting the man. The suspect was declared deceased on the scene. No officers were hurt in the shooting. In accordance with Colorado law, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office is the lead investigative agency in the case. Within 21 days, the Colorado Springs Police Department will release the body cam video.
CNN
39 minutes ago
- CNN
Supreme Court rebuffs effort by R. Kelly to overturn conviction
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from the recording artist R. Kelly, who claimed prosecutors 'stretched' the law in securing racketeering and sex trafficking convictions against him. Robert Sylvester Kelly is serving a 30-year sentence for those convictions. Kelly, a Grammy-winning R&B songwriter, was convicted under the 1970 Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, often associated with efforts to take down the Mafia but that can also give prosecutors the ability to seek higher sentences in different types of cases. Kelly's defense attorneys told the Supreme Court that prosectors 'stretched' the use of the act in how they defined the term 'enterprise.' An enterprise for the purposes of RICO, Kelly told the high court, only exists if its members share a common purpose to engage in illegal conduct. 'To hold otherwise would mean that any rogue bad actor operating within a legal organization could be prosecuted under RICO as occurred here,' Kelly's lawyer argued. 'This scenario stretches the RICO statute beyond and contrary to its purpose.' The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled against Kelly in February and he appealed to the Supreme Court in May. Federal prosectors declined to respond. As is its usual practice, the Supreme Court did not explain its decision to deny the appeal. The justices turned away another appeal from Kelly in the fall. In that case, Kelly had argued that he was wrongly retroactively prosecuted under a federal law that passed in 2003 and made the statute of limitations indefinite for sex crimes with minors.
