# Man dies in freak tree trimming accident



## timbertree

BREAKING: Man dies in freak tree-trimming accident
Updated: 04/09/2010 05:08:05 PM EDT


The Lebanon County coroner and Cornwall police are investigating the death of a 41-year-old Berks County man in a Cornwall development on Friday. 
Police identified the man as Brian D. Pieller of 236 W. High St., Womelsdorf.

Pieller died while trimming a tree in the 500 block of Hemlock Lane in Spring Hill Acres, a heavily wooded development off Route 72 near Mt. Gretna. Rescue crews were called shortly after 11:30 a.m. to free the man, who was hanging upside down by his safety harness. Rescue crews worked for more than two hours to recover Pieller's body.

Pieller was working in a tree about 60 feet from the ground when a limb from an adjoining tree snapped, pinning him upside down against the tree, police said.


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## NCTREE

http://www.ldnews.com/ci_14853745


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## NCTREE

someone experienced in aerial rescue might have been able to save this guys life. Shows the importance of training tree crews and emergency responders in aerial rescue.


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## outofmytree

4 attempted rescues and none by climber.......

We have a rescue kit in the truck for this sort of situation. I hope no one ever has to use it. RIP brother.


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## NCTREE

outofmytree said:


> 4 attempted rescues and none by climber.......
> 
> We have a rescue kit in the truck for this sort of situation. I hope no one ever has to use it. RIP brother.



Its a dam shame, thats thing if you are a small co. I'm the only climber on my crew so if something happens i'm screwed. I think every fire co. should have a trained volunteer on staff experienced in tree aerial rescue.

The strange thing about this story is Davey Tree Co. came to help out in the rescue. I can't believe that none of them knew how to perform an aerial rescue. I thought all Davey's climbers had knowledge and training in aerial rescue.


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## TXLiquid

I've done work in Spring Hill Acres (where the accident occured) and there is some monster trees in there.

Does anyone know who he was working for??

RIP


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## treemandan

Rip


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## mtfallsmikey

TXLiquid said:


> I've done work in Spring Hill Acres (where the accident occured) and there is some monster trees in there.
> 
> Does anyone know who he was working for??
> 
> RIP



Not sure myself..one of my ham radio friends lives there, accident was close to his house...I'll see if he knows.


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## deevo

NCTREE said:


> Its a dam shame, thats thing if you are a small co. I'm the only climber on my crew so if something happens i'm screwed. I think every fire co. should have a trained volunteer on staff experienced in tree aerial rescue.
> 
> The strange thing about this story is Davey Tree Co. came to help out in the rescue. I can't believe that none of them knew how to perform an aerial rescue. I thought all Davey's climbers had knowledge and training in aerial rescue.



Yeah I'm a firefighter in my community and have asked our Chief about doing aerial rescue training, as well as we have 2 ski resorts in our coverage area....all comes down to money.......needless to say I never got an answer. But I am trying to put together a training day with a few other companies using our rescue randy maniquin from the fire hall to do some scenarios. I've 
asked some companies around here and most don't have any training either so it will be good for all of us to do. 

For the climber involved in this one R.I.P brother


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## EdenT

NCTREE said:


> Its a dam shame, thats thing if you are a small co. I'm the only climber on my crew so if something happens i'm screwed. I think every fire co. should have a trained volunteer on staff experienced in tree aerial rescue.
> 
> The strange thing about this story is Davey Tree Co. came to help out in the rescue. I can't believe that none of them knew how to perform an aerial rescue. I thought all Davey's climbers had knowledge and training in aerial rescue.



I have often thought there should be a register of climbers trained in aerial rescue available to emergency services. I have no idea how one would get something like this going. Anybody got any ideas?

RIP Tree Man.


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## ray benson

Missed the picture in the article the first time.
http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site139/2010/0409/20100409_040554_tree.jpg


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## PAtreeguy

Brian Pieller 

Brian D. Pieller, 41, Womelsdorf, died Friday, April 9, 2010, from injuries sustained at a work accident in Spring Hill Acres, Lebanon County. 
He was the husband of Lisa M. DeTemple Pieller. 

He was born Sept. 3, 1968, in West Reading, a son of Ed Pieller of Robesonia and Ellen Yeager Jacobs of Reinholds.

He was employed as a tree trimmer for Davey Tree Expertise Inc. 

Brian was a member of Fireplace Christian Fellowship of Myerstown, where he taught Sunday school. He enjoyed hunting and fishing. 

Surviving, in addition to his wife and parents, are children: Carissa Leeland of Meridian, Miss., and Eric D. Pieller and Ashley N. Pieller, both at home; brothers: Mike, husband of Christine Pieller, of Stouchsburg; Aaron, husband of Briana Reigel, of Robesonia; and Joe Pieller of Robesonia; and sister, Teaa, wife of Keith Myer, of Womelsdorf. 

A celebration of his life will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Fireplace Christian Fellowship, 60 E. Washington Ave., Myerstown, PA 17067. A viewing will be held Tuesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at the church. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to his church to assist his family


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## alpha115

*RIP Brother*

As an ex Davey employee now in the Training and Safety Field within Canada and working within the USA, I believe it does need to happen.
All rescue workers should be trained as well as their fellow co-workers in how to perform an basic aerial rescue.

Within Canada we drill into the training arborists heads how to perform a tree rescue in more than one technique as well as a self rescue....

RIP.


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## murphy4trees

Looks like he set the lowering line out a ways on the branch away from the trunk.. NOT GOOD!!! I caught a little twig with the throw line, on a large tulip limb, out about 4' from the trunk... figured it would be OK... branch was 5-6" diameter.. A piece of wood that couldn't have weighed much more than 120 lbs ripped that tulip limb right off the tree. (the groundie taking three wraps didn't help).. That was an eye opener.. tough to tell what kind of tree it was that failed in the pic, but it sure could have been tulip.. I don't trust tulip limbs much anymore.. The lowering line has got to be on the trunk, not on the limb..

Also the climber might have ben able to position his body away from the overhead danger if he had planned for that contingency.. Obviously not meant to criticize the dead, God Bless him and his family, only to encourage the living to stay that way, with a good contingency plan, in case something goes wrong with plan A..


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## vaclimber

*perhaps*



EdenT said:


> I have often thought there should be a register of climbers trained in aerial rescue available to emergency services. I have no idea how one would get something like this going. Anybody got any ideas?
> 
> RIP Tree Man.



contact local ISA chapter?


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## ropensaddle

Sorry to hear about this, my prayers go out to involved family. The longer we do this stuff the more possibilities some freak accident will occur. I had a logger friend that had a limb snap and hit him in the head. He was not yet working just looking things over, he lived but it got very dicey though, it has about stopped him from cutting trees. The article expired, so I don't understand what happened here, just that he was pinned upside down. It is a shame no one could get him down I may contact the fire dept and volunteer for aerial rescue should it ever become necessary.


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## treeclimber101

Wow thats aweful , tough story to read , makes ya think about things normally kept at bay like how dangerous things can get quick , I agree that there should be more rescue climbers available to help injured climbers there are times when fire trucks just can't get close enough....


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## racnruss

*Tree rescue*

As a full time firefighter/paramedic, I am also on the high angle rescue team for the city.

Also a tree man, legit, bonded, insured with 13 years exp.

The truth about rescue is this. Any life threatening emergency must be addressed within minutes of the injury. You can't rely on another agency to come save you or your crew because it will take much too long to save a life that is really in an emergency.

Be safe out there.

My condolences to the family.


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## Pukendawg

*Tree Rescue*

I have first hand info on this accident. The truth of the matter is this man did not suffer long. He was upside down and one of his ropes was tight across his chest. The most important thing in my book about this man was judging by the church he attended he knew Christ as his savior. I have been praying for his family. No crew could have saved him but more training is very important.It took the fourth truck in from Lancaster County that could finally reach far enough to bring him down. Because the accident was so far off the road and so high up it made retrieval from a truck almost impossible. May God give his family piece.


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## gwiley

ropensaddle said:


> Sorry to hear about this, my prayers go out to involved family. The longer we do this stuff the more possibilities some freak accident will occur. I had a logger friend that had a limb snap and hit him in the head. He was not yet working just looking things over, he lived but it got very dicey though, it has about stopped him from cutting trees. The article expired, so I don't understand what happened here, just that he was pinned upside down. It is a shame no one could get him down I may contact the fire dept and volunteer for aerial rescue should it ever become necessary.



The "odds" of an accident don't change over time - only if the situation changes. The reality is that we are exposed to the same odds repeatedly. All other things being equal you are just as likely to die each time you do the work.

One thing that DOES change is experience (if we choose to heed it) which actually reduces the odds of an accident (assuming we don't become complacent due to experience).

This is similar to the "will it be a boy or a girl" question. Every time there is roughly a 50% chance of having a boy no matter how many babies you have had previously.


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## chainsawland

That's a truly tragic story. It just shows how your can never be too prepared for what may be around the next corner. 

Many of us are guilty of becoming too focused on the task at hand and forgetting about what's around us, or in this case the trees around us.

May his soul find rest and eternal happiness.


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