Man trimming palm tree in Riverside dies when fronds collapse on him

A man trimming a palm tree died Friday, April 26, when fronds fell on him, pinning him to the tree, the Riverside Fire Department said.

The fronds that fell on the man were dead and formed what is called a skirt below the living fronds, said Capt. Chuck Tasker, a Fire Department spokesman. Those can be dislodged by vibrations, and the man was clearing those at the time of the accident, Tasker said.

Firefighters were called to the backyard of a home on Newkirk Drive around 1:45 p.m. They used ladders to ascend the tree and check on the man, who was already dead, Tasker said. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office will determine the cause of death.

The man appeared to be a professional tree trimmer, Tasker said.

Chaplains were called to minister to the man’s co-workers.

Tasker said firefighters train for such a rescue but have not had to perform one in several years.

In February 2023, a tree trimmer in Bonita in San Diego County was killed when dead fronds collapsed on him as they were clearing him, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.