Landscaper dies in fall from tree; links to safety information

Photo: gardeningnewstoday.com

A landscaper died Tuesday in Quogue, New York, after falling from a tree.

The man’s identity has not been released, police say, because they are still trying to contact his family in Guatemala, according to The Southampton Press.

The worker fell from the tree shortly after noon and the police were notified. The man’s employer, Israel Vidal of Vidal Landscaping, drove him to the East Quogue Firehouse.

“I’m assuming he was doing some type of tree work, but it’s still under investigation,” Quogue Village Sgt. Thomas Mullen said.

The fire department’s medical team then took the man to Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident is under investigation by Quogue Village Police detectives and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

OSHA advises inspecting trees for structural weakness before climbing and to break or cut off dead limbs while climbing. OSHA records show 14 individuals have died in falls from trees in 2015 alone.

For more about safety in working with trees, click here.