Abstract: At approximately 11:20 a.m. on February 14, 1996, Employee #1 and five other crew members, of Davey Tree Service, were trimming trees away from an overhead power line for an electric utility. Employee #1 had climbed a 15 in. diameter, 55 ft tall dead ponderosa pine. He had trimmed the limbs 28 ft from the top and was beginning to top the tree. After making a face cut, he made the back cut, but the tree sat back on the chain saw, pinching the blade. Apparently, Employee #1 then climbed in order to get more leverage to push the tree over in the intended fall direction and free his saw. He climbed to or above his cut, and when the treetop fell his safety rope slipped off the cut, allowing him to fall with the tree. Employee #1 landed on his back and was killed when he struck his head against the Oro Quincy Highway.