Saturday, July 20, 2013

Riverside Park: Teen Girl Hurt By Falling Tree Limb - 7th Tree injury In Six Weeks


Brooklyn Man Struck On Sunday In Union Square Park


Riverside Park - 81 St. & Riverside Drive near where a 13- year-old girl was struck by a fallen tree limb yesterday.   The Parks Department press office has refused repeated requests for information regarding the incident. 

At least seven people have been hurt by falling tree branches since June 3rd. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A 13-year-old girl was struck on her shoulder and back by fallen tree limb in Riverside Park, NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The incident occurred yesterday afternoon at 81st St. near Riverside Drive around 3:10pm.

EMS transported the girl to New York Hospital suffering from "multiple trauma" according to a spokesperson. 

The extent of her injuries is not known at this time. 


 Remains of yellow caution tape on a fence near where a girl was struck yesterday by a tree limb as a family relaxes nearby on an adjacent park bench.


The Parks Department press office has refused repeated requests for information regarding the incident. 

The Mayor's office also failed to respond.  

Last Sunday a 51-year-old Brooklyn man was hit by large tree branch in Union Square Park, NYC Park Advocates has also learned. 

Murat Calikusu,  was out with his family and friends relaxing under an Elm tree trying to escape the heat when a 15-20 foot long branch came crashing down, falling three stories stricking him in the shoulder and neck.


On Sunday a Brooklyn man was hit by fallen tree branch from this Elm tree in Union Square Park.  The adjacent area had been cordoned off with mettle barricades and a large dead tree limb was clearly visible dangling above. The day after Sunday's incident Parks Department forestry employees removed the dead limb. 


The incident occurred at 3:00 on the northern section of the park in a crowded sitting area on the lawn area where lime green tables and chairs are put out.

The man suffered lacerations to his shoulder,  a separated bone in his neck, bruising and scratches on his back and was treated at Beth Israel Hospital said his 17-year-old daughter who was shaken up by the incident.

"I felt so scared, I was going to cry. He couldn't breath," she said.

"He couldn't see things at first, and then he was going to faint. He couldn't talk and his blood pressure was high. His neck was in pain. 

"Thank God, it could have been his head,"  she said. 

His daughter had just left him and was on her way to Starbucks to get drinks when she recived a call and came rushing back. 

She said her father was going to lose two weeks of work.

Early the next morning Park Department's forestry division removed a large dead branch which had been dangling two stories up a few feet away from where Sunday's incident occurred. The area under that dead branch had been barricaded off earlier in the week.

The same day in Bronx Park a 5-year-old boy was hit by a fallen tree limb but was not seriously injured.

This follows a series of tree injuries over the last six weeks.  

On June 20, an elderly man and a teen girl were struck by a falling branch in the NYCHA Ingersoll Housing development.  

On June 12th a 59-year-old tourist  from Indiana was hit by falling tree branch in Central Park. 

On June 3, a 46-year-old man was struck by a tree limb on 96th and Central Park West at 7:00am.

The City and the Central Park Conservancy recently settled two high profile tree injury cases for a total  $ 14.5 million dollars.   

Read More:

A Walk In The Park -  June 20, 2013

A Walk In The Park - June 12,  2013 - By Geoffrey Croft 

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