Man was trying to help friends prepare for Hurricane Dorian when he died, neighbors say
Marcial Diaz Capetillo was trying to help a friend prepare for Hurricane Dorian on Tuesday by cutting large limbs off a tree in the front yard.
To show gratitude for the favor, the friend went inside to make them lunch. The friend was unable to cut the limbs himself because of a recent back injury, but Capetillo told him not to worry about it, that he would handle it.
Moments later, he heard Capetillo and the branch crash to the ground.
Gloria Soto lives next door on S.C. Highway 378. Capetillo’s friend ran to her house, and she immediately called 911. She was on the phone with dispatchers as she approached Capetillo.
“I think this guy is dying,” Soto recalled telling dispatchers.
Capetillo was still breathing when Soto first got to the scene. Soto described his significant injuries and said they tried to provide his condition to dispatchers before police and fire crews arrived.
It was a scary experience, Soto said.
Capetillo died at the home from traumatic injuries, according to the Horry County Coroner’s Office. Investigators say the 48-year-old was thrown from a ladder after a stray tree limb fell on it.
Soto said Capetillo, who was from Mexico, was always willing to help out, despite the fact he was often quiet.
“He’s a good guy,” Soto said.
On Wednesday, friends and family made a makeshift memorial of flowers and religious markings at the site where Capetillo died. The tree branch that contributed to his death still laid feet away, and the ladder was still leaning against the tree.
