JR, you better eat your words! It's called "karma". That was very uncalled for!

J R Browenstein

One less illegal immigrant.....

So I assume you'll be applying for that open job now that you people constantly bitch and whine about illegals 'taking' from you? They'll have to double-check your education to make sure you're qualified for it, because we know how your type feels about knowing things (like whether the tree trimmer was an illegal or not before making a fool of yourself).

That's assuming your idiotic claim that he was an illegal is even accurate to begin with. There's a slim chance of that materializing.

What a bunch of jerks on this thread. What difference does it make who was trimming the tree , a life was lost because of it. It was probably a guy who needed the money real bad and took on this dangerous job to feed his family .. illegal or not as least the man was willing to work .

P.S ... threads like these make me want to puke !! No wonder this country is falling fast on its ass. Too many lousy people not caring about anyone but themselves. Oh well, like the old saying goes, "you can't fix stupid", but I just had to get out how I felt about it knowing full well it's probably going to deaf ears.

Well, I'm going to completely ignore the 2 year-olds on here. As for the story, how sad!! What a horribly unnecessary thing to have happen. Can't they work in groups of two??? Then this would NEVER have to happen, someone would be there to help if things went bad, not hours later by paramedics. My sympathy with his family.

A terrible tragedy. My heart goes out to the family.

i'm not gon'a go out on a limb...and say anything til they make a final cut on the story...some body will blame obama for this cause he was stump'n for votes...

JR: So you are a bigot with a job. I'm a working tax payer too, that is the way this country works. I for one am proud to pay my taxes as an American.

The victim's name isn't even mentioned. Where do you get he was an immigrant, let alone a person of color? This person was working for a living, not living off of hand outs. You need professional help.

AND I'm not a liberal so don't even go there!

JR Brownstein = Bigot.

Ban palm fronds! The article doesn't say if the deceased was certified to handle palm fronds. They are obviously dangerous.

jr...wouldn't you feel like a moron if you found out it was a legal citizen who pays taxes that died ? i have plenty of friends of different races who are legal citizens who cut and trim trees ..are you impying all tree cutters are illegal immigrants? even if he wasn't legal , someone died trying to make a living. i think you just shoved your own foot up your racist arse you f-in moron.

The news media said...Humphrey added that the cause of death has not yet been determined.

Let me help you. A tree fell on the dude.

While a tragedy, this type of accident happens too often. Why? Men calling themselves tree trimmers and having no formal training. Typically one to two individuals die each year in L.A. due to them improperly trying to trim Palm Trees. If your so upset about this, than let's get rid of these damn trees. They are extremely costly to have trimmed by a licensed arborist. That's why you get these idiots getting killed. Yes, idiots.

Do you realize the person who hired this Guy can be sued if the victim did not have proper Workers Comp Insurance, License, etc. So Buyer beware.

So who is responsible? The guy that got killed? The person that hired them and not asking or caring if they are licensed, insured and bonded? The City for refusing to go after these black market tree trimming companies? The County? The State? The Feds? IMO they're all guilty of gross negligence and greed.

I might be more sympathetic if this were not such a common place occurrence. This man knew the risk he took doing this job without the proper equipment. Sadly it's his Family that has lost their Father and Husband.

There are over 6 billion people on the planet and one guy dying because he was too stupid to not cut a tree down on top of himself is a "tragedy"...? I call it "Darwinism".

I am assuming he was an "undocumented" immigrant because he couldn't be identified...any normal person would have I.D. on them or at least in their vehicle. If he was not an "illegal", we'd know his name.

It's a fairly safe assumption that an "unidentified" tree trimmer working in SoCal is an illegal...it doesn't mean that I assume ALL tree workers are illegals, you twits. Until proven otherwise, I'm going with the assumption that it's an illegal immigrant. You all are free to make your own assumptions about the dead tree trimmer, as the story is rather light on those details (which also leads me to believe that the liberal media aren't wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was an illegal immigrant by saying he isn't identified.

oh, and one more thing...if you think that I'm going to be cowed by calling me a "bigot" because I don't like people who trespass into my country and take take take, then you are sorely mistaken. I despise illegals...as should any bona fide American citizen and those who've emigrated here LEGALLY.

trying to make out like I don't like illegal immigrants because they are "brown" is so ludicrous that only a libtard would float that turd of an idea...I don't like them because the are criminal trespassers in my country.

names of the deceased aren't made public until the family is notified first dimwit. people who make assumptions like yourself are pathetic. how do you know how the accident went down? were you there? did you witness the tragedy? accidents happen to people who are proficient in what they do for a living everyday! thats why they're called accidents you idiot! you must eat a lot of what you write. you're no better than the liberal media ! this article isn't about illegal immigration..its about a person whom YOU clasify as stupid and most likely illegal whom you don't even know who died trimming a palm tree.did they drop you on your noggin when you were born or were you just born an ignorant racist?

JR is a loser, It is sad that people like him get to vote. It might seem he is too ignorant to breath, alas it isn't true

Jrbrowenstein, he did not cut the tree down, he was trimming it. You should stop posting. Your ignorance is showing thru and it is not pretty.

I see people jumping all over others for assuming this tree trimmer was an illegal immigrant.

FamousAmos, huskergal, LittleI56 (did I miss anyone?) all assume the guy had a family. But that's OK. Nice to choose your assumptions.

And LN, you need to seek some help. Where did race come into this? Or have I missed something? Illegal alien is a race? I'm beginning to think "stupid" is a race.

As for this guy dying, face the facts. People of all nationalities, cultures and (here's the word) races die every day doing their jobs. Most of them anonymous. Why does this rate a news story?

This is a story about a man who lost his life in a terrible way while trying to earn a living which is likely meager. It has absolutely nothing to do with the topic of illegal immigration and its certainly not mentioned anywhere. Why even insert it? I'm so sorry the very first comment was about bigotry and not condolence. It was rightly rapidly collapsed. When will the day come that the bigots and haters just stop? My condolences to his family. PS JR this is not just "your" country. Thankfully.

Well have to agree with another poster..not from CA. not even west coast..east coast here..but LA..Hollywood and earthquakes are the same to me in that neck of the woods!

People would think I'm strange if I said... the Bronx is no where near Brooklyn!

jet,

Everyone has a family.. that is kind of how the whole being born thing works. His family might not be around any longer, but that's a different topic. The point of the "condolences to the family" is a gesture of sympathy vs. the point of the ignoramus "illegal" comment is a gesture of hatred (all of this seems pretty obvious but I guess you missed these points). So I guess you are OK defending an ignoramus mean-spirited poster, while bashing people that are expressing words of kindness... to each their own I guess.

As to your: "Why does this rate a news story?"

It seems to be enough of a story for you to read and comment... I guess you should answer your own question.

Wow JR, you're a real piece of work. Just assume the guy is an illegal because he wasn't identified right away. Perhaps, living in your little ivory tower of righteousness as you do but, when someone is seriously injured or killed, the name is not released until next of kin are notified. They do this for folks who are here legally as well as those who aren't.

Just for your information, it might surprise you just how many of those illegals are also paying taxes, just like you do. Just think about that, when you are driving down the highway, some illegals helped pay for the highway, just like you did. According to the IRS, about 6 million illegal immigrants pay taxes each year. Also, about $6 to $7 million is paid into Social Security each year by illegals even though they cannot collect on it. Texas estimates that if all illegals in the state were deported it would cost the state about $14.5 billion in tax revenue or about 7.6% of the total tax revenue for the state. Food prices, depending on the crop, could increase as much as 20% if illegals were all deported.

Anyway, I am sure you will be happy to just sit there with you smug attitude because you were probably lucky enough to have been born here and you have a job and you pay taxes and that makes you better than someone who came here to try to improve theirs.

Obviously this man was working, providing a service to the community but that isn't good enough, is it? You know, the odds are that this guy is a citizen but, you will still maintain your self-righteous attitude because he wasn't part of your family and he was just too stupid to know any better.

I tell you what, I also have a job and a veteran with 35 years of service. I have probably been paying taxes since before you were born and I spent those 35 years in the Navy, prepared to defend your right to be a pompous ass. I hope you enjoy your little slice of paradise.

As I think about it, this is probably going to get me banned for a bit. I've never been banned before. If this does get me banned though, it will be worth it as long as you get to read this post. Please don't waste your time replying. You are not someone I want to pay any attention to now.'

"It seems to be enough of a story for you to read and comment... I guess you should answer your own question." - SactoJD

First, I didn't miss ANY point. But in response to your assertion, I'm sitting in a hotel in a city I've been to more than a dozen times and I'm bored. I'm reading things online I'd normally not even notice. I commented because the fellacious bull-feces rendered here (and elsewhere) is too ripe not to comment.

Nobody here really cares about a faceless, unknown guy who died foolishly. Posting "condolences" is a salve for the ego. Have a Snickers instead.

I suppose a prompt for me was the "racist" thing, too. One of the most misused words there is today.

i blame Bush! everybody else does!!

Most illegals don't pay taxes on their pay. The huge majority of laborers don't make enough in a year to have to pay taxes, plus they don't file returns. On the W4 form you have to fill out when you start a job, there is a block you can check that says if you didn't owe taxes last year and don't think you will owe this year, then "NO" taxes will be withheld from your wages. I have a high income, but even I can check that box and not have any taxes withheld from my pay. I would be in big trouble for checking that box come tax time, but I could. Illegals can't be tracked, so why would they let taxes be deducted from their pay if they didn't have too? they would want to get every penny from their substandard pay that they can get.

I agree with JR.

LittleI56, why get rid of all of the palm trees because of an accident? Shouldn't we get rid of all of the cars because of one auto accident?

In fact, over a couple of decades ago, tree-trimming was not even an occupation. Who made up this line of work? In the past, most property owners did not care about pruning/trimming trees. If it needed to be done for some reason, it was done by landscapers and gardeners. Or a homeowner, or the city, did it themselves.

Tree-trimming is a big scam.

And BP the grape, you lie about the substandard pay.

JR- You're an idiot. How many stories do you see where the victim is not identified? It is SOP to not tell anyone the persons name until next of kin has been notified.

The rest of you that think "Karma"- Karma is BS. I have done right to others in my life, taught my kids to do the same and helped others when asked and when not asked. I have "Paid it Forward" and taught my kids to do the same. I have always done more than is expected and frequently been told how good my Karma must be.

Karma does not exist. Karma could care less about anyone. The ones that you have done the most for are the ones that run away fastest when live goes wrong.

If you think that your good deeds will come back to you I wish you well. I also would not count on it.

If karma exists, it could be a little more complicated. If you are doing your good deeds begrudgingly, the deeds may not have such a positive effect.

JR Brown Stain,

Are you trolling, or are you serious? Let me impart some sorely-needed wisdom to you:

The only "bona fide" (what a lame term) Americans are NATIVE AMERICANS, you whiny redneck fu*ktard. We're all here illegally, including you. WE ARE THE TRESSPASSERS. We lied, cheated and stole to be here. That's our legacy. So unless and until you're ready to acknowledge that, you really need to STFU.

No one is trying to 'cow' you. You're not a bigot, you're a freakin' idiot. A hate-spewing, neo-con wing-nut robot with shlt for brains.

Jet,

Believe it or not, there are actually people that "care" about people they do not know personally... you are obviously not one of these people. You would seemingly rather "eat a Snickers" than have some compassion. To each their own, but civility, regardless of motive, seems a bit more admirable than condescending hostility.

Just a comment about illegal immigrants who "pay into Social Security, but will never be able to collect". Just how does one pay into Social Security if you're an illegal immigrant without a Social Security number? With a stolen or falsified number, that's how. Every year thousands of retirees discover that their Social Security account has been hacked, and they are facing a retirement with far less income than they had anticipated. While Pedro the honest illegal immigrant paid into Social Security so he wouldn't be caught and deported, John Q. Public now has to prove that the earnings reported were not his, and may spend years trying to get his account fixed.

Crank, you pay into SS so you can get money out. The more you pay in the more you get out. People paying into SS using a stolen SS actually increase what the real SSN owner can get out but, since most illegals have very low paying jobs it won't amount to very much.

Tellya What

JR Brown Stain,

Are you trolling, or are you serious? Let me impart some sorely-needed wisdom to you:

The only "bona fide" (what a lame term) Americans are NATIVE AMERICANS, you whiny redneck fu*ktard. We're all here illegally, including you. WE ARE THE TRESSPASSERS. We lied, cheated and stole to be here. That's our legacy. So unless and until you're ready to acknowledge that, you really need to STFU.

No one is trying to 'cow' you. You're not a bigot, you're a freakin' idiot. A hate-spewing, neo-con wing-nut robot with shlt for brains.

Really...? That completely specious nonsense that only "native Americans" are real Americans? The area now known as mainland United States was mostly unsettled wilderness, with sporatic instances of indigenous life. What wasn't bought or bartered for was won by conquest...there was no "country" for there to be "immigration" illegal or otherwise. What there was is called EMIGRATION....look it up.

When your nation is conquered and becomes part of the conquering nation, the conqerors are not nor ever were "illegal immigrants". If your tribe of indigenous folk can't defend "their" land and they are conquered, it's not "their land" any longer....this is how just about any nations borders on the planet have evolved.

I think it's outstanding that a person who probably has never even heard the words "cultural anthropology" thinks that I'm the idiot. Thanks for the laugh.

You do realize that the Native Americans themselves fought each other in conquest of lands...? If the natives themselves fought each other for lands that weren't "theirs" in the first place, how is the settling of the United States by Europeans any different except Europeans had to travel farther to fight over the same lands that the native Americans fought each other for control and "ownership"...?

Tree trimmer crushed to death by palm fronds...

...the cause of death has not yet been determined.

Gotta love NBCNews journalists.

Best guess is that he was tied up in the tree and they fell on him. Enough to kill him but not break the line.

I was wondering the same thing. Perhaps he was in a cherry picker, and the fronds buried him in the basked which was 30 feet in the air at the time. Either way I still can wrap my head around palm fronds weighing that much. We don't have palm trees around here, but I've been in places that do, so I know what a palm frond looks like, and they just don't look that heavy.

Humphrey added that the cause of death has not yet been determined.

Except of course by the staff at MSNBC who placed it in their headline.

Don't worry about being unclear on the details...Just go with it. /sarcasm

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me that he could be trapped in palm fronds and killed--unless he was some know-nothing unlicensed "tree trimmer" with a truck, ladder, and chain saw who didn't know what he was doing. We have lots of them here in Florida. Funny how everyone knows how to trim a tree, palm, whatever. All I can think is that he tried to slash through a bunch of the fronds at once and they all collapsed on him. But still... Can't quite picture it.

I too am a native Floridian of 70 yrs & have to conclude that California must have different types of palms. As big as the fronds get, especially on old palms, I can't imagine one one 1/2 ton. 30 ft. in the air, up a palm? must just be badly written. There's mucho palm tree trimmers in Fl. but never heard of one dieing by a fron but many that have been electrocuted when cutter touches electrical wires.

Palm fronds remain on the tree after they die. After several years the tree has a "beard". This beard can weigh a ton. The individual fronds do not weigh very much, but the entire beard is heavy. If you have been around the type of palms that grow in California and Arizona, you know what I am talking about. They can be very dangerous. It is important to keep them trimmed. A few years back, a child was crushed while playing under a palm tree in Arizona when the beard let go and fell to the ground.

Interesting, I didn't know that palm trees had beards. I thought they were skirts :)

That's what they're called in Florida, skirts. And they hang on pretty tight through many hurricanes.

The beard or skirt is up 30 feet on the tree. You either have to climb the tree or use a cherry picker to get up there. You then have to use a chain saw to cut around the circumference of the tree to remove them. Once you cut completely around the tree, the entire ring of them will slide down the trunk, similar to how you pull down your pants or underwear. If you are in the way, it will slide down on top of you. If there is a lower ranch or obstruction below you, then you will be trapped between and suffocated. If there are other workers with you, then they can get up there and help you. But most trimmers work alone, so they will die from suffocation from the immense weight. There are also huge colonies of ants up there so they will be all over you. Yuck!

Some of the largest species of palms are the non-native date palms grown in the Imperial Valley and Riverside County for cash crops. They tower over many other kinds of trees. The King or Queen Palms native to the coast are a little smaller but still large, and are the kind that have the beards/skirts.

before I retired from the business I trimmed a kazillion palm trees utilizing the proper equipment (spurs and saddle) so that you could manuver around the tree and stay away from all the crap that you were cutting. I have seen guys on an extension ladder with a pole saw cutting away and crap falling on them. evidently this fella didn't really have the experience to do the job or he would not be dead. as far as a half ton frond???????? man, now thats one hell of a big tree-I have had large seed pods hit me but I was up close into the tree and no damage was done but if I had been ten feet or more below it who knows what would happen. I think that more than likely the fronds fell into his lap if he were belted in and made it impossible for him to move or breath-I have seen some pretty inexperienced people in trees who should not be there with a live chain saw in their hands-the guy was just trying to make some bucks to feed his family-too bad for them-that's just my opinion-I could be wrong

Those "skirts" are only on a certain type of palm, on most palms the frons die seperately & fall to the ground & do not fprm "kirts".

Most of these guys can't afford a bucket truck to they climb the tree with spikes and a rope or belt. When they set off a domino effect and all the fronds on one side collectively collapse on top of them, they get trapped and smothered. Cheapskate homeowners don't want to pay the cost for a company with proper equipment. So these guys risk their lives for a lot less.

Rontron

Cheapskate homeowners don't want to pay the cost for a company with proper equipment. So these guys risk their lives for a lot less.

Kinda makes you wonder what these guys would be willing or forced to do if this work wasn't available huh?

You can't pull fronds down. They are firmly attached. They make it through hurricanes.

Climbing a palm with spikes can kill the palm.

Cheapskate homeowners? These unlicensed "trimmers" come and ring your doorbell and tell you they'll do a real good job for almost nothing. This is a case of buyer beware for sure. Most of the time you end up with a dead palm. This time things clearly went really wrong, though I can't see how it really happened.

Jay, climbing a palm with spikes will not kill the tree. Climbing with spikes is how it is done.

jr - ( jerking retard ) and i thoughtn rush limbaugh was an #$$hole

@terry1207; all you had to do is blame Bush a$$hole!!!!

It's against the law in GA to spike trees if they are not going to be removed. I think it is the same in FL.

Good one. Too bad for the trimmer guy :(

Just too funny. Almost fell off of my chair.

I guess you missed the part in the article where it said the incident happened in Hollywood. who would parade the space shuttle down in Hollywood? Hell, I can't even get through sunset Blvd with my Tundra.

@Chii2 - It doesn't sound like mike is from CA.

Contrary to most Southern Californians, I know that the world does not revolve around this point, and most people do not know the different areas. Most people in the world think that Disneyland is in L.A. rather than over an hour away (driving) from the airport, in Anaheim. Give the guy a break!! How would he know that Hollywood is nowhere near where they cut the trees for the Endeavor (in Inglewood, the poorest part of the area--don't get me started!)

KENDALL, "Poorest part in the area..."??? Oh, please do get started.... Inglewood is THE poorest....??? The route will include the newly renovated gated communities of Briarwood & gorgeous Carlton Square, as well as, the lovely, beautifully maintained homes (many w/ pools) in the residential area, on the hill, directly across Manchester Avenue from them. According to various real estate websites, etc. home sales have exceeded $400K in 2012 alone. Please limit your inaccurate & disparaging remarks regarding an entire city, of which you are obviously unfamiliar. Clearly, there are pockets (of streets) in Long Beach, (where you live), West L.A., Los Angeles, Culver City, Torrance, Downtown, etc. where one would not want to live, either.

yupp 400,000.oo ...it's california style'n...i'm stay'n stuck in the sticks in my trailer house in arkansas....

Resident, just want to let you know that from the reports I saw on tv about Endeavor's route, they made it sound like it was only going through the poorest areas to get to its new home. These reports also implied that the major tree cutting was being done in these same areas. BTW, $400,000 is not a lot of money for a home in the middle-class NY suburbs where I live, nor in the So. Cal. areas that the in-laws live.

Condolences to this man's family, no matter if he is legal or illegal.

Kendall in Long Beach, Given today that there are vast amounts of resources for discovering locations available at the touch of a button, I cut no one slack.

**MERCURY **- I wrote EXCEEDED $400k... in a somewhat DEPRESSED housing market. That's NOT poor!! Even prior to the boom, those homes were valued over $600K. I was disputing the term, POOR. I didn't think it was necessary to include a price range. It's interesting that you didn't name where you in-laws live either. Are you so blind that you don't know why the media is calling it poor ?????? It's predominantly minority residents....

Well have to agree with another poster..not from CA. not even west coast..east coast here..but LA..Hollywood and earthquakes are the same to me in that neck of the woods!

People would think I'm strange if I said... the Bronx is no where near Brooklyn

Hollywood is not a city..Hollywood is part of LA to me..and I'm from the east coast! :)

LA area is in my comment...Chii2..guess you miss reading that!

A little trivia: the Los Angeles metropolitan area generally is defined as including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura County's.

And, my prediction is that even though many of the coastal towns, such as Long Beach and Torrance have some very depressed areas in them, property values will only increase in the future, even if only in incremental increases. Why? Because the land itself here is some of the most desirable in the country.

They are - usually a home for rats... birds don't nest in them, because the rats will eat the eggs - birds and chicks too. The way to deny an invasion of rats is to trim off the dead fronds...

Native to California, California fan palms. Reaching 60 feet, with a crown spread of 15 feet, the massive, gray, barrel-shaped trunk can reach over 3 feet in diameter at its widest point, and is ringed with old leaf scars. California fan palms can have up to 30 gray-green, fan-shaped leaves (palmate), each 3 to 6 feet across. These palmate leaves spread out to form a loose and open crown. The leaf stems (petioles) of mature California fan palms have curved thorns along the margins.the most favored Palm is the Royal Palm.

By the way, for just the same reasons as this workers death - many municipalities require the dead palms be removed,to prevent death and/or injury when the "Hula skirts" detach and fall on pedestrians, its an insurance risk that cities would rather avoid.

With their shallow root systems, which do not cause upheavals in sidewalks or pavement, many cities have taken to remove traditional trees - to replace them with Palms of various origin. Royal or Egyptian Date Palms can reach heights near 100 ft. are known for their slim elegant silhouettes which lend an air of sophistication to important areas, with little need for maintenance - other than trimming or removal of dead fronds every few years.

Oh puhleeze, Beoweolf- give us a break !!! Blah, blah, blah.

You must be a republican Cassandra, that many facts are too much for your pea brain to handle .

Beoweolf, do not start 'urban' myths. The fronds do not just fall; I used to swing on them when I was a kid. If the whole skirt is going to fall it is because the whole tree is dying or dead, which would be because of some infestation or else lack of water. Yet in my whole life, I have never seen these fronds fall, except in the most windy storms, when everyone wants to be inside anyway. And yes, birds do nest in the palm fronds.

How did the nuns climb the tree with all the cloaky gear they wear ? TBH I dont think nuns should be in the habit of cutting down trees

The trees are not dangerous, trying to handle something heavy or unweildy is dangerous. Or if you have a phobia of trees please go live in the desert.

Well, cookala, I'm not an expert on tree trimming but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a single frond. I'm thinking plural.

The company legal? Has insurance? Help his family (if he had one)?

What color is the sky in your world?

Its not just one frond - its the accumulation that builds up over years of reduced, neglected trimming. The build up is a hazard; for infestation if varmints,fire other problems.

If the tree hasn't been trimmed in a while - it is very possible the dead growth - under the crown, could cover 10 - 20 feet of the trunk and be in a radius of 3 -- 4 feet encircling the trunk. the possible combined weight of that much dead foliage could easily be in excess of 1/2 ton.

Since trimmers can't climb over the dead foliage - they are usually cutting it from beneath and working their way up to the live area. If its meshed together and tangled, doesn't fall off naturally, it could all fall at once.... Oops, there it is.

The TOTAL of the palm fronds probably weighs more that that. Have you ever been up there, under all of those branches? Bet not!! The old dead ones under the new growth doesn't just fall out when it is cut and the little teeth on the fonds all catch on each other. I will guarantee that you can't pick up all of the fronds in five or six trips. Maybe you should be the one that checks facts before you talk, but that's right people that don't know S.H.I.T. about something are usually the ones that try to pass themselves off as the smart ones. Oh, and yes I know what I'm talking about. I've helped trim more palm trees than you have thought about. What have you been smoking Steve??

There are over 1000 kinds of palm trees. Some are very exotic looking. I could easily see some of them having 1/2 to 3/4 ton fronds. Remember...these palms are quite tall. What you see at a distance is much larger (and heavier) when seen at close range.

John-

The article clearly states "PALM FRONDS LIKE THESE" and not ALL the live, dead and decaying fronds combined. A palm tree of 30'-40' in height would be very unlikely to grow or physically support a mass of individual 1000 lb. fronds. This would be akin to parking a school bus on top of a telephone pole.

As far as your statement "The old dead ones under the new growth doesn't just fall out when it is cut and the little teeth on the fonds all catch on each other."

While this does happen with some species of palms, most fall off on their own. Since we are not given that information, you are drawing your conclusion on an assumption.

Even the washingtonia filifera, common to California, which grows to 50'-60' tall only has 6' fronds weighing far less than the stated half ton.

As baschnagel noted, many species of palms do reach enormous sizes. Take for instance raphia regalis, the largest species of palms with fronds reaching 85' in length. This is an exotic plant however, native to wet regions in Africa and not easily cultivated in the western US.

I only questioned the information as presented. You however want to support it blindly, without the necessary facts.

Keep trimming, and drink plenty of water.

Dehydration is an ugly thing!

This is why people need to be certified and trained to do it. I am pretty certain that the victim in this sad accident was a freelancer trying to make a few bucks with his saw.

Tim, you are totally clueless about metaphysics/Energy. What goes around, does come around, i.e. "karma". If you were more aware, you would realize that you have received your karma, many times. And, you will many more times, judging your mindset.

Ahh... Superstition is such a happy, happy, HAPPY place to be!

Cassandra, looks like you're totally clueless about the real world. There are no such things as unicorns, much less karma, I'm afraid.

He was Hispanic, Hernandez, and I agree about safety rules. I've worked with a LOT of Hispanics, and they don't give a rat's *ss about safety. It's speed, speed, speed, time is money, safety slows them down. Maybe nature will thin out this safety slacker gene pool.

I'm just glad the moron didn't take out anyone else.

And, get off the Red Bull!

LOL

Andy - Hispanics only care about "speed, speed, speed." Is that because you only pay them $2.00 an hour? Perhaps you supply the Red Bull on breaks?

People with no compassion for other human beings make me sick!