Worker with tree-pruning service killed after being struck by branch

Police say a 27-year-old man has died after he was struck by a branch from a tree that was being pruned along a residential street in Oak Bay, B.C.

The incident happened in the 2700-block of McNeil Avenue in the community east of Victoria on Tuesday morning, Oak Bay Police Chief Ray Bernoties said.

"A professional tree-pruning service was in the area working on a large tree — a whole crew of young men, and one of them, tragically, has died," Bernoties said.

It is unclear if the man was cutting the branch himself, or if he was below it when it fell.

Bernoties said the man's coworkers and a few bystanders have been left traumatized by the incident.

Victim services have been called in to provide emergency response to anyone who might have witnessed the incident, he said.

"This is a pretty emotional experience for all of these young men that [were] there. They're all quite shaken up. And so we're going to do our best to try to make sure that they get the proper care and attention," Bernoties said.

WorkSafeBC and a police forensic team are now piecing together what led to the man's death, he said.

Police said the area was closed to traffic and pedestrians as the investigation continued.

Anyone with more information is asked to call the Oak Bay Police Department.