Man identified in Washington County, VA tree trimming accident

UPDATE 3:15 p.m.

Authorities have released the name of a man killed Tuesday in what authorities are calling a tree trimming accident.

Thomas Allen Gibson, 51, of New Tazewell, Tennessee, was killed in the incident.

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A death investigation is underway in Bristol, Virginia after what Washington County Sheriff Fred Newman called a tree trimming accident Tuesday morning.

The man was killed at a property located on Memphis Road just off of Cove Creek Road, according to the officer. He was an employee of a tree trimming company. Emergency personnel were dispatched just before 9 a.m. The site is located two miles away from Valley Institute Elementary School.

The man was 50 years old and according to police, part of the tree snapped, leaving the victim suspended about 40-50 feet off the ground.