Crime & Safety

Gilroy Man Killed Monday in Los Gatos

Gilroy resident Francisco Javier Meza Diaz, 61, died after being hit and trapped beneath the tree he was cutting outside a Los Gatos home.

 has been identified as Francisco Javier Meza Diaz, 61, of Gilroy.

The Santa Clara County Coroner's Office, however, would not release the cause of death on Wednesday, saying that's only available to the public when the investigation into the accident is complete.

According to Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Sgt. spokesman Kerry Harris, Meza Diaz died when he and another worker were cutting down a tree for a private homeowner on Quarry Road and the tree fell on him killing him and trapping his body for hours before it could be retrieved.

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The accident is said to have occurred at 12:57 p.m. Dispatch received a call regarding a tree that had fallen on the worker and by 1:15 p.m. it was determined that one of the workers had been injured and the other had died during the accident, Harris said.

The other worker, identified as a 23-year-old San Jose resident, received moderate injuries and was transported to Valley Medical Center, Harris said.

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Late Monday afternoon, authorities worked hard to recover the victim's body with help from the Los Gatos Parks and Public Works personnel. "They were working on a steep hillside on Quarry Road," Harris said.

"It's not known at this time whether they even had a permit to cut down the tree," Harris noted.

Erika Monterroza, a spokeswoman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said her agency is looking into the accident and were notified of the tragedy by the LGMSPD.

"We don't know the name of the employer at this time," Monterroza said. "But we do know these two workers were at a private residence cutting a tree down on a steep hill when the tree fell fatally injuring one employee and injuring another. That's the extent of what we know at this time. Our investigation is ongoing."

Monterroza added by statute CalOSHA has six months to complete the investigation.

A total four Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police officers responded to the accident as well as Santa Clara County Fire units.

The Santa Clara County Coroner's Office was on scene as well as a representative from CalOSHA, Harris added.


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