John E. Gelzinis has filed a lawsuit against AAA Maintenance LLC and Kevin Stipe in the Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida. The case, bearing number 24-001012-ClI, was lodged on March 2, 2024. The plaintiff is seeking damages exceeding $50,000 from the defendants.
The plaintiff, represented by his counsel, alleges that he was working as a contractor for AAA Maintenance at a property owned by Kevin Stipe. On July 1, 2020, while performing tree trimming services at the property located at 4725 West Bay Vista Avenue in Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida, an incident occurred causing him harm.
Gelzinis was working with Sean Packham, an employee of AAA Maintenance. Packham climbed a ladder to trim a tree branch approximately thirty feet high and tied one end of a rope around the branch intending to cut it down. Gelzinis was instructed to perform a leverage maneuver involving wrapping the remaining slack of the rope around another tree trunk and passing it around his back.
Gelzinis is seeking judgment against both defendants for negligence resulting in personal injury. He claims that Packham failed to adhere to industry standards and safety protocols during the tree trimming operation which led to a large log falling from the tree and causing him physical harm.