Cactus in the News
Only one U.S. state has recorded a death by cactus, and that is Arizona. In 1982, 27-year-old David Grundman was famously crushed after a saguaro cactus fell on him. Grundman and a friend had been illegally shooting at the massive plant — which can grow as tall as 60 feet and weigh thousands of pounds — when it toppled, pinning and ultimately killing the man.
Such fatal encounters are extremely rare, yet residents of the Southwest tell SFGATE that nonlethal run-ins with cacti are surprisingly common. Last week on a hiking trail outside Phoenix, a man who fell from an embankment and became trapped in a cactus was rescued with non-life-threatening injuries.
