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48-year-old city arborist dies in job-related accident in Cleveland

Cleveland tree trimming accident 3.jpg
Posted at 6:20 PM, Jul 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-07-14 18:20:59-04

CLEVELAND — A Cleveland city arborist died Wednesday at a job-related accident, city officials said.

It happened on Martin Luther King Drive near St. Clair Avenue.

"We were made aware of a fatal accident this afternoon involving an employee at a job site," the city tweeted. "We are saddened and still awaiting details of the incident."

The arborist, identified as 48-year-old Sean Hudson, began his career with the City of Cleveland in 2017.

City officials said Hudson was a "valued and dedicated employee" as well as a "husband, father and friend who will be missed."

Details surrounding the incident weren't provided and the incident remains under investigation.

News 5 Photojournalist Dave Colabine captured some photos from the scene. The photos show a City of Cleveland work truck near a fallen tree.

Cleveland tree trimming accident 1.jpg

The tree was roped off with police tape and a white hard hat/helmet can been seen laying on the grass near some debris.

Cleveland tree trimming accident 2.jpg

The City of Cleveland said it is making grief counselors available for employees beginning Thursday.

Mayor Frank Jackson and city officials issued the following statement regarding Hudson's death:

Mayor Frank G. Jackson and the City of Cleveland offer our condolences to the family, friends and co-workers of Mr. Sean Hudson. Sean was a City arborist, who passed away on July 14 after a fatal accident at one of our job sites. He began his career with us in 2017. Sean was a valued and dedicated employee, held in the highest regard by his co-workers. He was a husband, father and friend who will be missed. To help our employees, grief counselors are available starting tomorrow. The safety of our workforce is of the utmost importance and per protocol, we will conduct a thorough investigation into today’s incident. Any further information will be shared via the Cleveland Public Records Portal.

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