JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A tree trimmer who fell from a pine tree Thursday morning while doing work on a property in Northwest Jacksonville was hospitalized with serious injuries.
The homeowner told News4Jax that the man was in "pretty bad condition" after falling an estimated 50 feet. He was taken to a hospital by Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department personnel just after 9:30 a.m.
Homeowner Duncan Jackson said everything was going well, but the workers couldn't finish the job Wednesday because of the weather. He said they were only back working for about 30 minutes Thursday when the man fell.
"It came forward and it seemed like a piece of the tree went backward and slapped him right off the tree and he came flying down," Jackson said.
Right: Jackson's photo of trimmer in tree
Jackson said the tree service was hired by the city to cut down the tree as the city prepares to cut a new ditch along the property line. A city spokeswoman said the company contracted for the ditch work, Callaway Contracting, hared Shaw's Tree Service to remove the trees. Shaw's has not returned a call from News4Jax.
Another tree removal company, Bushor’s Tree Surgeons, said it holds weekly safety briefings and that safety is the responsibility of both employers and employees. I said workers should be wearing hard hats, safety glasses, ear protection, chain protection chaps and proper harnesses when they are working on a job.
