ANDERSON—An Anderson man is dead after falling 65 feet from crane at an address in Pendleton.

Gerald Lee Culler Jr., 36, was trimming branches high in the air Tuesday morning when things took a fatal turn.

“At about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning at an address in Pendleton, (Culler) was cutting the tops off of some tall pine trees,” Anderson County Coroner Greg Shore said. “He was in a bucket about 65 feet above the ground and was using a chainsaw. When he cut the top off, the top swung around and hit the bottom of the trunk, causing it to bump into the bucket he was standing in. It kicked him out.”

Shore said the fall was well over 50 feet.

“He fell about 65 feet and had blunt forced trauma to his head and neck,” Shore said. “He died at the scene.”

Shore said Culler usually wears safety equipment, but was not protected at the time of the incident.

“Unfortunately he didn’t have any of his safety equipment on,” Shore said. “He had it on the ground, but he wasn’t wearing it. All his co-workers and folks that witnessed it on the ground were kind of surprised because he normally does wear his gear. It was a fatal decision.”

Shore said Culler’s death was sudden.

“Pendleton EMS and Sandy Springs Fire Department responded to the call, but Culler was pronounced dead at the scene,” Shore said. “It was a sudden death.”

Culler leaves behind three small children.