California Tree Trimmer Dies in Palm Fronds

A tree trimmer died Monday after becoming trapped in the fronds of a tall palm tree in an East County neighborhood, authorities reported. A resident reported seeing the worker stuck about 60 feet off the ground at Central Avenue and Lamar Street in Spring Valley about 3:30 p.m., sheriff's Lt. Dave Myers said. Firefighters used a ladder truck to free the man. Medics tried in vain to revive him, then pronounced him dead at the scene shortly before 4 p.m., Myers said. The worker, identified as Rury Valdez, 44, from San Diego, appeared to have suffocated while hanging upside down, tangled in fronds, according to broadcast news reports. It was not clear how the accident occurred.