An employee of a tree company was killed when he was struck in the head by a limb while working in Alpharetta.
Misael Soriano Elorza, 41, of Doraville, was part of a crew working Friday morning near a YMCA on Preston Ridge Road when he was struck from behind, according to an incident report obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A co-worker was cutting a large tree at its base when it fell, causing a limb to hit Elorza, police said.
The impact caused Elorza to fall backward and into a creek, where he was submerged, his two co-workers told police. Elorza was pulled from the water by his co-workers.
All three workers, employees of Downey Trees in Cumming, were wearing protective gear, including helmets, at the time of the incident, police said. Elorza’s helmet was cracked by the limb.
Paramedics administered CPR to Elorza, who was transported to North Fulton Hospital. He died Saturday, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration was called to the scene to investigate, the police report states.
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