Matthew Beck
Matthew Beck, 26, was a man who had been trying to turn his life around and hoped to join the state's firefighting program, which gave him a sense of purpose. His family says he called them regularly, told his young son that his daddy was a hero, and that his mother had planned for him to help raise his grandson after release. On May 24, 2017, while clearing brush in Six Rivers National Forest near Orleans as part of the program, he was struck in the head by a falling tree and died at the scene, according to the Humboldt County Coroner's Office autopsy. Cal Fire's preliminary review said he could not hear a warning over chainsaw noise, and Cal/OSHA cleared Cal Fire and CDCR of wrongdoing, while his family says the program left them unprotected.
Cause of death, as reported: Died in an accident. The Humboldt County coroner's autopsy and Cal Fire's preliminary review say a 105-year-old tree struck him while he cleared brush, and Cal/OSHA cleared Cal Fire and CDCR of wrongdoing.
Reported by: Humboldt County Coroner's Office (medical examiner or coroner); Cal Fire (the agency that held him); news reports.