Tree Trimmer Dies After 60-Foot Fall in Upstate

PENDLETON, S.C. (AP) _ The Anderson County coroner says a tree trimmer was not using safety equipment when he plunged more than 60 feet to his death. Coroner Greg Shore said 36-year-old Gerald Culler Jr. died instantly from head and neck injuries when he hit a driveway after falling Tuesday morning. Investigators say Culler was cutting the top off a pine tree in Pendleton when it fell down and hit the basket lift he was in, turning the basket upside-down. Authorities say Culler told the employee working the lift that he was a professional and didn’t need the safety equipment, leaving it on the ground. Investigators say Culler was self-employed with a business he called Anderson Arbor Pros.