SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A man was killed Wednesday morning after a tree branch fell on him in the City Heights neighborhood, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Department officials.
The incident occurred just before 11 a.m. in the 3800 block of Marlborough Avenue, SDFD Capt. Jason Shanley told ABC 10News.
Shanley said emergency crews arrived to find a branch on top of a man with family members trying to pull him out. That man has been identified as Roberto Ruiz, and leaves behind a loving family. To access their Gofundme, click here.
Emergency crews pulled the man from under the branch, but he died despite life-saving measures.
While it was unknown what caused the tree to topple over, an ABC 10News crew at the scene indicated strong winds were swirling in the area.
Shanley said a city arborist was evaluating the tree after multiple branches fell from it.
One branch fell on an awning of a nearby home, forcing occupants to evacuate while an arborist conducts an inspection.
The city sent the following statement:
Our thoughts are with the family, friends, neighbors and first responders impacted by this sudden loss of life. City crews have performed maintenance on this specific tree-in-question in January 2024 as a proactive measure to trim branches, and the tree presented no concerns or defects at that time. The City doesn’t have a record of any maintenance requests for this specific tree.
