New Hampshire man dies while working on tree in Haverhill

By Sarah N. Mattero, Globe Correspondent

A New Hampshire man working in Haverhill for a tree removal company died Monday afternoon after a branch he was working on snapped, pinning him to the ground, the Essex County district attorney’s office said.

The 32-year-old man, who was not identified, was working on a tree on North Avenue around 1 p.m., according to Carrie Kimball-Monahan, spokeswoman for District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett.

“He was attached or tied up in a branch,” Kimball-Monahan said. “The branch gave way, causing him to fall to the ground.”

The man was taken to Lawrence General Hospital where he was pronounced dead, she said.

“It’s pending autopsy results, but it appears to be an accidental death,” Kimball-Monahan said of the investigation.

She said that the man was working with at least one other person at the time of the incident.

Falls are one of the leading causes of death in the workplace, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. According to the department’s 2011 report, there were 16 fatal falls in the state last year, most from heights of 25 feet or less. In total, 63 individuals died at work that year.