UPDATE: Man Pinned by Tree in North Kohala
***Updated at 4:30 p.m. to include additional information from the Hawai’i Police Department.***
The Hawai’i Police Department says the man involved in Monday’s tree trimming accident has died.
Andrew A. Ankner, who has no permanent address, died after being crushed by a large branch while cutting a tree in North Kohala.
Police say Ankner was trimming a tree when the branch he cut fell on him, pinning him in a fork of the tree.
Hawai’i County Fire Department personnel extricated Ankner from the tree. He was flown to North Hawai’i Community Hospital in critical condition.
According to authorities, Ankner was pronounced dead at 7:56 p.m. Monday.
Initially, the case was classified as a public accident but was later reclassified as a coroner’s inquest.
An autopsy will be conducted to determine Ankner’s exact cause of death.
***Original story posted at 8:25 a.m.***
Hawai’i County Fire Department crews responded to the scene of a North Kohala tree trimming accident Monday afternoon that left a man pinned by a large branch about 25 feet off the ground.
HFD Company 15 personnel and Rescue Company 7 personnel responded at 3:30 p.m. and worked together in an effort to remove the branch and bring the man to the ground.
The man, who has not been identified, was stabilized at the scene before being airlifted to North Hawai’i Community Hospital in critical condition.
The privately owned property alone Keokea Park Road is a privately manicured cultural park.
Fire officials say the man was trimming the tree when the accident occurred.
No information on the man’s current condition was immediately available.