PHOENIX (April 14) — In a freak accident, a landscaper in Phoenix suffocated under palm fronds as he was trimming a tree on Saturday.
Phoenix police say 36-year-old Erasmo Rodriguez Corrales had been cutting the fronds from a palm tree when they collapsed on top of him.
Two co-workers also became trapped in the tree. They had been trying to rescue their friend, according to The Arizona Republic.
Police say it appears the weight of the palm fronds suffocated Corrales. The newspaper reported that the tree skirt trapping him weighed about 2,000 pounds. Corrales also suffered a gash in his leg from his chainsaw when he dropped it.
Corrales was pronounced dead at the scene.
Fire officials freed the other two men, who were uninjured.