Tree climber dies

ATS/TexasTree · Aug 4, 2008

Go to

http://www.nlrtimes.com/articles/2008/08/01/maumelle_monitor/local_news/nws14.txt

for story.

oldirty · Aug 4, 2008

does that mean he was rappelling out of the tree with the top partly cut up?

Nailsbeats · Aug 4, 2008

That story wasn't written by a tree guy. What happen? Did the top land in his lap during the cut? Did he hang it up, then climb under it? Need more details, regards nonetheless, that's too bad.

(WLL) · Aug 4, 2008

things just dont line up in the story

RIP brother

Sunrise Guy · Aug 24, 2008

TreeCo said:
25-year-old dies while trimming tree

by Bill Lawson
Friday, August 1, 2008 11:53 AM CDT

Seth Clark, 25, of Little Rock died Monday in an accident in Maumelle when the tree top he was trimming fell and hit him in the head.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Pulaski County Coroner Garland Camper.

Clark and another employee of All American Tree Services were trimming pine trees at 4 Arnold Palmer Drive about 4:45 p.m. when the accident occurred.

The police report said Clark had just trimmed the top out of a 150- to 200-foot pine in the front yard and was climbing down the tree when the 50-foot top fell and hit him in the head. He died instantly, the coroner said.

— Bill Lawson

My sympathies to his family. A real tragedy.

The only thing I can make of the story is that he cut the top but did not drop it, as in maybe it was tagged and he was coming down before it was pulled over. The cut was too deep for the weight and the top fell without being pulled and hit him as he was on the way down. With a 150-200' top, that's a fair amount of tag line.

I sometimes use the technique I just mentioned, in dicey situations, but I always climb down the side opposite the pull of the tag line. I suppose if one of my guys let the tag and/or the top get away from him, the same kind of thing could happen to me. We always try to be careful, but I know that sometimes things just don't go your way.

Again, my sympathies to his family.