Worker Seriously Hurt While Trimming Trees
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A 21-year-old tree trimmer was in serious condition Monday after a eucalyptus limb struck him in the head, leaving him stunned and helpless 25 feet above the ground in Fullerton, authorities said.
Mike Ivers of Santa Ana was in St. Jude Hospital and Rehabilitation Center with a skull fracture and cuts to the face and head. He was one of several workers trimming a stand of eucalyptus trees when the accident occurred about 1:15 p.m. at a Fullerton apartment complex near the intersection of Gilbert Street and Hughes Drive.
Fire Department officials said Ivers was securely strapped to the trunk of one tree when a branch he was cutting with a chain saw snapped back, striking his face and head. The blow left Ivers unable to move.
Eyewitnesses said Ivers began bleeding profusely from the head, prompting a fellow tree trimmer to climb the tree and administer first aid until firefighters arrived and rescued him.
Firefighters used a ladder to lower Ivers on a stretcher to an ambulance waiting below.
No one else was injured in the incident, officials said.
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