LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – A man in his 40s was fatally impaled during a tree-trimming operation in Los Angeles on Monday.
Los Angeles Fire Department officials said the man was trimming a palm tree when he fell some 35-feet and landed on a 10-foot iron fence.
“Tragically, this fall rendered the patient beyond medical help. An LAFD [Urban Search and Rescue] team will utilize a high angle rope system to carefully recover his body, which is currently covered by a sheet and shielded from public view by a tarp to preserve the decedent’s dignity,” officials said Monday in a news release.
It’s unclear if the winds in the area were a factor in the accident, though aerial footage captured by N NewsNation local affiliate KTLA showed the palm trees the tree-trimming crew were working on swaying back and forth in the gusts.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ Crisis Response Team was also responding to the scene “to provide emotional support to fellow workers,” fire officials said.
Authorities with the L.A. County Medical Examiner’s Office were notified and will assume responsibility for the victim’s body.
No further details have been released about the incident.