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Calif. man killed while on Facetime with family, trimming tree branches

Family members saw the branch fall on the victim and called 911 when he did not come out from underneath it

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By Daniella Segura
The Charlotte Observer

EL CAJON, Calif. — A man died in a tree-trimming accident in his backyard while FaceTiming a family member, California officials said.

While on a video call, a family member saw Gary Maurice Zing, 59, “cutting branches on the tree” at his El Cajon home on July 5, the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said on its website.

The family member then saw Zing down the hill from the tree when a piece of it fell on him, the office said.

When the family member did not see Zing come out from under the tree, they called 911, the news release said.

First responders arrived and confirmed Zing had died.

Zing’s death from “multiple blunt force injuries” was ruled an accident, the release said.

El Cajon is about 15 miles northeast of San Diego

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