A California tree trimmer with 20 years experience was killed in a freak accident — when he plummeted 35 feet and impaled himself on an iron fence.
The tragic worker, identified by family members Rogelio Cruz, landed on the 10-foot fence Monday while on a job along Canoga Avenue and Valerio Street in Canoga Park, NBC Los Angeles reported, citing the LA Fire Department.
Family members told the outlet that 48-year-old’s rope got loose from the palm tree he was working on, causing him to fall to his death.
Rogelio Cruz, a California tree trimmer with 20 years experience, has died in a freak accident. KABC
Cruz tragically plummeted 35 feet and impaled himself on an iron fence. KABC“Everyday routine — goes up, does the job, cuts it down, comes back down, goes home, and it just wasn’t like that today,” said Cruz’s cousin Richard Areloa.
Cruz, whose 48th birthday was in September, has two decades of experience trimming trees and worked for a company owned and operated by his family.
His two brothers were also on the job when he died.
“I don’t know how one can process what happened,” Areloa said. “Here we are, all still trying to cope with everything.”
News helicopters captured Monday’s grisly aftermath — the victim’s body still on the fence and covered by a white sheet.
Passersby were shielded from the graphic scene by a yellow tarp tied between power poles.
He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 3:20 p.m.
