http://www.kpho.com/news/18430917/detail.html?rss=pho&psp=news
PHOENIX -- Firefighters said it was a race against the clock to cut a man free from the hundreds of pounds of palm fronds crushing him, without being able to use any power tools.
Phoenix fire's technical rescue team was called to the scene near 35th Avenue and Interstate 10 at about 8:30 a.m. to save the man trapped 20 feet up in the palm tree.
A neighbor reported hearing a loud boom and saw a man struggling up in the tree, said Capt. Frank Salomon of the Phoenix Fire Department.
The man had been cutting away the palm fronds from the bottom, which caused a massive bulk of the dead tree to fall onto the harness holding him up there.
"Most people don't realize when you get this incredible ring, and they call it a ring, when it lands on somebody, it's an incredible amount of weight because it's years of old material that's been accumulating in this palm tree," Salomon said. "Once they release the pressure, all that weight comes down."
Firefighters hoisted a ladder and began removing the debris with hand tools. Salomon said they didn't want to run the risk of using chainsaws that might injure the man.
The man was able to communicate with rescue crews the whole time so firefighters knew he was still conscious and breathing.
The tree trimmer, who was not identified, was taken to the hospital to be checked out. The extent of his injuries was not known.
PHOENIX -- Firefighters said it was a race against the clock to cut a man free from the hundreds of pounds of palm fronds crushing him, without being able to use any power tools.
Phoenix fire's technical rescue team was called to the scene near 35th Avenue and Interstate 10 at about 8:30 a.m. to save the man trapped 20 feet up in the palm tree.
A neighbor reported hearing a loud boom and saw a man struggling up in the tree, said Capt. Frank Salomon of the Phoenix Fire Department.
The man had been cutting away the palm fronds from the bottom, which caused a massive bulk of the dead tree to fall onto the harness holding him up there.
"Most people don't realize when you get this incredible ring, and they call it a ring, when it lands on somebody, it's an incredible amount of weight because it's years of old material that's been accumulating in this palm tree," Salomon said. "Once they release the pressure, all that weight comes down."
Firefighters hoisted a ladder and began removing the debris with hand tools. Salomon said they didn't want to run the risk of using chainsaws that might injure the man.
The man was able to communicate with rescue crews the whole time so firefighters knew he was still conscious and breathing.
The tree trimmer, who was not identified, was taken to the hospital to be checked out. The extent of his injuries was not known.
