A routine Sunday tree-trimming job in Owings Mills turned into a high-angle rescue when a man was pinned about 25 feet in the air after a large limb shifted and trapped him against the trunk. Volunteer firefighters and medics scrambled to stabilize the scene, free the man and get him to advanced care. He was flown to the University of Maryland Medical Center's Shock Trauma unit with serious leg injuries, according to emergency crews.
As reported by WBFF, Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched to a home just over a mile from its Owings Mills station after a 911 call came in about the trapped worker. Crews from Chestnut Ridge and neighboring departments worked the scene at height, stabilizing shifting branches and deploying rescue tools to free the man in less than an hour. Maryland State Police Aviation Command then airlifted him to Shock Trauma with what fire officials described as serious leg injuries.
Dispatch, stabilization and medevac
"The dispatch read: 'someone is stuck in a tree and the tree is on top of them,'" WBFF reports. Firefighters worked aloft to secure the trunk and unstable limbs before cutting away the pinned branch. Once freed, the victim was carefully lowered to the ground and transferred to waiting medical crews for transport to the helicopter.
Why tree work can be deadly
Federal data underline how risky this kind of work can be. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has documented dozens of fatalities among tree trimmers and pruners in recent years, and CDC/NIOSH findings point to falls, being struck by falling limbs and chainsaw incidents as frequent killers. NIOSH and industry guidance emphasize fall protection, team-based work and careful branch assessment as key safety steps. For homeowners, experts generally advise hiring a certified arborist for large or high-risk cuts instead of tackling them solo.
Local volunteers on the scene
Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company, which serves the Greenspring Valley area including Owings Mills, lists its station on Greenspring Avenue and notes it responds to a wide range of rescue and medical calls. The volunteer department highlights special-operations training and equipment on its website, the kind of resources that come into play during technical rescues like this one. Neighbors said they were relieved by the fast response and are hoping for the man's recovery.
