Man's death in tree appears accidental, Wake investigators say

Emergency workers were called to a home at 7316 Westworth Drive in Willow Spring, where they found the man, who appeared to have been cutting limbs from the tree.

Authorities, however, are still investigating. They did not say how long the man might have been in the tree or how high up he might have been.

The home's owners, Thomas and Carol McCartney, were out of town Monday but told WRAL News over the phone that they had hired the local contractor to cut down a tree.

Neighbors said they heard him mid-morning cutting limbs.

Investigators have told them very little about what might have happened, they said.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office has not said what might have happened and have not released the man's name.

Friends and family of the man, however, gathered at the scene Monday morning. They said he had a wife and four children.

"It's horrible," neighbor Beverly Gelvin said. "With this heat and the wind – the trees are coming down. There's such a possibility for accidents and it’s horrible whenever it happens."