Fri, April 24, 2026 at 7:22 PM UTC
The Brief
A tree trimmer suffered a medical emergency while suspended 75 feet in the air and was rescued by helicopter.
Cal Fire used an aerial hoist to safely lower the worker and rescuer to the ground.
The man survived and was taken to a hospital; a Cal/OSHA investigation is likely.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A tree trimmer was rescued Friday morning in San Jose after suffering a medical emergency while suspended 75 feet in the air.
High-altitude emergency
What we know
The worker was pruning a palm tree around 10:10 a.m. in the 2900 block of Sunburst Drive when he experienced an unspecified medical emergency. Because of the complexity of the situation, standard ground-based rescue efforts were bypassed in favor of an aerial approach.
Helicopter extrication
Dig deeper
A Cal Fire helicopter arrived at the scene and lowered a rescuer to the man, secured him and then safely lowered both the rescuer and the victim to the ground while tethered to the aircraft.
“This is the first time that they [Cal Fire] have done an aerial pick off of a tree of this type. We typically are able to gain access using our aerial apparatus, so this is a unique event,” said Assistant Fire Chief James Dobson. He added that this was the first time in his 25 years of service that he witnessed a rescue of this kind.
Victim’s condition
The man was transported to a local hospital. Officials said he survived the ordeal, but is currently in life-threatening condition.
Authorities have not identified the man’s employer, but it appears he worked for an independent contractor. However, because the incident occurred on the job, a Cal/OSHA investigation is likely.
The Source
San Jose Fire Department