19.05.2011

Tree trimmer falls from lift

A man fell to his death, near Lancaster Pennsylvania, on Monday after the boom failed on the vehicle mounted lift he was using for tree trimming . Local reports actually say it ‘snapped’ – throwing him from the platform.

The man, Alan Price, 40, from York Pennsylvania was working for C.J. Doudrick General Contractor with two colleagues, both of whom were on the ground. He was around 15 metres up when the boom failure occurred. We do not know if he was wearing a harness – although given that he was thrown from the platform onto the drive, it seems unlikely.
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The lift after the accident

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called in to the scene to investigate.

Vertikal Comment

A structural failure on a modern aerial lift is exceptionally rare, on the odd occasion that it does happen, it can often be traced to poor maintenance or metal fatigue caused by earlier events. Tree trimming can be a tough on a machine, given that falling tree limbs often strike the machine as they fall.

This is a very sad occurrence and is sure to have a major impact on many people’s lives. One cannot but wonder if he had been wearing a harness with a short lanyard he may well have survived?