A maintenance worker died Tuesday after he was hit by a falling branch on U.S. Capitol grounds, the federal agency responsible for maintenance of the Capitol Complex said.
In a statement, Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers said Matthew McClanahan died after a large branch fell from an American elm tree and struck him.
McClanahan, an employee of Architect of the Capitol, was working on an irrigation pipe near the U.S. House of Representatives when the branch fell.
Rescue crews worked to free McClanahan from under the tree branch. He was taken to a hospital with injuries that appeared “very critical,” The Associated Press reported. He later died.
“Matt was a talented, dedicated pipefitter in the Maintenance Division of Capitol Grounds,” Ayers said. “Please keep his family, friends and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
The Cox Media Group Washington News Bureau contributed to this report.
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