A California tree trimmer was killed in a devastating workplace accident after a massive branch reportedly fell onto him, trapping him in his safety ropes as his longtime friend desperately tried to save his life.
Evaristo Bernabe Sanches was working approximately 40 feet above the ground in a eucalyptus tree Sunday morning, October 11, in Bonita, a community just south of San Diego, CA when tragedy struck.
His coworker and close friend of 28 years, Benjamin Avila Saucedo, was standing below the tree providing ground support when he heard a sudden cracking sound.
Moments later, a large branch broke loose and struck Sanches from behind, causing his safety ropes to tighten around his body.
“I hear pop!” Saucedo recalled during an emotional interview with NBC San Diego.
According to Saucedo, the falling branch pushed his friend downward, and the ropes became entangled around him.
Saucedo immediately attempted to reach Sanches with a ladder, but the situation deteriorated within seconds.
He desperately called out to his friend, urging him to breathe, but there was little he could do from the ground.
Emergency crews from multiple San Diego County fire departments responded to the scene near the 3900 block of Horton Road at approximately 10:30 a.m.
Firefighters found Sanches trapped and unresponsive between 35 and 40 feet above the ground.
Crews managed to lower him safely from the tree, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
For Saucedo, the loss was especially devastating.
“My heart is broken because he was my friend for 28 years,” he said.
Both men originally came from Guerrero, Mexico, and had developed a close friendship through their years working together.
Sanches owned a tree-trimming business and lived in Escondido. Friends remembered him as a hardworking father who cared deeply about providing for his family.
According to Saucedo, Sanches had been saving money in hopes of bringing his mother and sister from Mexico to California, where he believed they would have a safer life.
The accident occurred shortly after Tropical Storm Rachel brought heavy rain and strong winds to the San Diego region, raising questions about whether the weather contributed to the deadly incident.
Saucedo said he had warned his friend earlier that morning about the dangers of climbing a eucalyptus tree after so much rain.
He believed the wet conditions could make the branches more vulnerable to breaking.
Eucalyptus trees are common throughout Southern California, although they are not native to the region. Some species can shed large branches unexpectedly, particularly when weakened by weather, structural defects or other environmental conditions.
Investigators with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department are examining whether the recent storms played a role in the accident.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health has also been notified and is expected to review the circumstances surrounding the workplace death.
Authorities have not yet released an official cause of death, and the medical examiner’s findings remain pending.
In a particularly heartbreaking detail, Sanches had reportedly shared a social media post just weeks earlier about another tree trimmer who died while working.
He accompanied that post with a reminder that tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Now, those words have taken on a painful meaning for the family and friends mourning his loss.
Saucedo said he will never forget watching the tragedy unfold, especially after spending nearly three decades working alongside his friend.
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