Manhattan
A baby is dead. A mother is hospitalized. And still no one can say who was responsible for maintaining a tree after one of its falling branches struck them at the Central Park Zoo, according to the New York Daily News.
"The investigation as to why the limb fell is ongoing, as is a review of specific responsibility for tree maintenance," Parks Department spokeswoman Vickie Karp said Sunday.
The Central Park Conservancy, which handles tree maintenance in the park, and the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the zoo, did not respond to messages. The trunk of the tree is on zoo property; the branch fell just outside its gate.
Six-month-old Gianna Ricciutti, thought to be safe in her mother's arms as her father snapped a picture of them, was killed Saturday when a leafy green branch fell near the sea lion exhibit.
Mom Karla DelGallo, 33, of Union City, N.J., was also injured in the accident. She was in stable condition with a head injury at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.
"The limb was in full leaf and appeared healthy," Karp said.
The leader of a watchdog group long critical of tree maintenance at Central Park said the tragedy should be a wakeup call.
"This is crazy. We really have to be looking at this - it's happening way too much," said Geoffrey Croft, president of the NYC Park Advocates. "We cannot have the public getting killed in the park."
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