PHOENIX — A Phoenix tree trimmer found himself in a precarious situation Monday morning after an equipment malfunction left him stranded 40 feet up a palm tree, unable to get down on his own.
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Technical rescue crews from Phoenix and Glendale were dispatched to the area of 35th Avenue and Northern Avenue around 12:15 p.m. and found the man clinging near the top of the tree. The Phoenix Fire Department deployed a ladder truck, which was able to bring him safely to the ground without the need for a full technical rescue.
The tree trimmer, who declined to provide his name, told 12News that one of his climbing spikes broke off after he reached the top of the palm tree. He estimated he was stranded for roughly 45 minutes before having a neighbor call 911 for help.
“They got the ladder truck and meanwhile, I was losing grip,” he said. “It was getting really close.”
The man said he has been trimming trees for 25 years and has never experienced anything like it.
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