Chinese Tree Victim Killed By Negligent Park's Dept. Contractor Laid To Rest

Jing Liu's widow breaks down outside the Wah Wing Sang Funeral home in Chinatown earlier today as she watched her husband's casket being led away. (Photos: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge.

City-Wide

By Geoffrey Croft

The beloved Chinese food delivery man killed by a negligent Park's Dept. contractor was laid to rest today.


Jing Liu's name hand written in Mandarin Chinese in the window of the hearse. 

His devastated widow broke down as she watched her husband's casket being led away to the hearse outside of the funeral home on Mulberry Street in Chinatown.

The small service was attended by close families and friends. 

Last week Jing Liu, 48, was riding through Coffey Park in Brooklyn making a delivery when a large London Plane tree suddenly came crashing down.

The Park Department contractor, Carlstadt, N.J.- based RML Construction violated basic safety protocols while working in the Redhook Brooklyn park.      Standard safety protocols require maintaining a safe work zone with cones, caution tape and workers on the ground to flag approaching pedestrians, which were not adhered to.  

The company also violated the terms of its contact with the Parks Department by only having two of the four personnel required for tree removals as per the Tree Removal Item Specifications.

The"pruner" from RML Construction speaks with an FDNY Captain at the scene of incident on November 18th.  (Photo: Todd Maisel/NY Daily News)

It is well known that Parks Forestry division contracts tree trimming workers that are not certified arborists.  The two employees were not certified arborists. The Parks Department counters that International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certification is not a requirement for this type of work. 

The Parks Department has suspended all contracts held by RML Construction. The company began working with the Parks Department on tree removals in  2014. 

The tree that killed Mr. was deemed removable by the Parks Department in at least July 2015.  

The City's DPR's Trees and Sidewalk Program budget is a paltry $6 million a year, up from $3 million last year.  

More than a dozen people have been struck by falling trees/limbs this year alone. 

The city has paid out $21.6 million in tree related death and injury cases 

in four recent settlements.

The body of  Jing Liu leaves the funeral home this afternoon in Chinatown. 

Read More:

Brooklyn Tree Victim Dies

A Walk In The Park -  November 18, 2015 - By Geoffrey Croft