Spokane Tree Trimmer falls to death

Eric Frei

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What's this BS about disconnecting for the descent? If you disconnect you fall, and so much for 2 attachment points!

Sad, cost the guys life.

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Jeff Darby

As you know, All it takes is one mistake!

My condolence's go out for his Family.

JayD

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mdvaden

That's a day's drive from here - my brother and sister in law just moved to Spokane.

Of the few tree service deaths in our area that I've heard of in the past not-so-many years, each one seemed associated with a technique problem. I didn't really hear about some unseen tree defect.

One - company sends tree workers to clear around power lines in a big storm -worker gets electricuted. Previous Pruett Tree Service, now out of business best I know.

Two - arborist has his lowering rope slung over his body's rope. His rope gets burned through - he falls. That was a death or serious injury.

Three - Tree service owner struck on back or head by a chunk that his arborist removed and hurled down - "communication problem" ???

Four - This one in Spokane.

Seems a boom on a bucket truck broke or swung loose a few years ago, killing someone. Don't remember if that was just one of those "freak" breaks, or a maintenance problem.

Victor Lindsay

That's my take on this sad accident also. Two attachment points.

TrevMcRev

I'm sure he thought he knew what he was doing, been doin it for years, dont need no fancy gear etc....

.........."shakes head"

treefeller

My condolences, unfortunatly in this job their are accidents / deaths, thats why its one of the most dangerouse jobs to do... Biggest culprite over confidence.

Tree Machine

I'd agree over confidence and complacency can play a part, but under-training or ignoring industry standard practices can be equally the reason.

When I started climbing I was ignorant to some basic safety 'rules'. It was more the norm to just be on rope, make a cut. Or climb up without a rope and just do the cutting while fliplined in. I look back on those early days and wonder how I never had an accident while aloft.

But that's what happened to this guy. He wasn't tied in twice and we know this because had he had two points of attachment, one would have been there when the other failed.

It's also an assumption on my part that it was a failure at the attachment point. The report says his harness was unbuckled, but I believe that was poorly worded by first response, or the writer of the article. You unbuckle your harness to get in and out of it. You disconnect or unclip or untie to re-route your lifeline or flipline. He still had his harness on. He didn't unbuckle and fall out of it.

It would be a very, very rare instance where two points of attachment both failed at the same time. Possibly this could have been a gear failure, dee ring blown out, failed eye splice or a dozen other possibilities, but regardless, even a full-on mechanical failure of an attachment point, had the second tie-in been there, he'd have gone home that evening like every other. There was a critical moment where he was in the tree, not attached by flipline or lifeline.

I am very, very sad for the climber and his family . I am also sad for the many who have fallen in the past for more or less the same reasons.

groundpounder

Very sad indeed. There is a saying that goes through my head when I am thinking of cutting corners. Gives me a second to think about what I am about to do.

"There are old climbers and there are bold climbers, but there are no old, bold climbers."

Eric Frei

Rather take a little longer 6' above than be 6' under.

Sad story, it is a dangerous job.

Tower workers the same, you cant afford to become complacent.

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B3h3m1th

never disconnect rite?

KidInTree

Very unfortunate for any mistake to occur that results in an avoidable tradgedy such as this one.
Maybe if he was taught with the standards and practices that we are trying to teach climbers today it could of been avoided ie. two tie in points.
none the less what has occured more than likely was avoidable and shows the importance of using better saftey practices.

JohN Dee

Not right. The correct phrase is: Whilst off the ground you should always be connected/attached to the tree. 2 tie in points whilst cutting here in Australia is the go.

Although you should always put yourself in the safest cutting position aswell as position your lowering/craning point away from yourself, sometimes the unexpected does happen and wood does come flying at you and you HAVE to disconnect your secondary tie in to jump/swing out of the way.

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