Monday, August 5, 2013
Pregnant woman killed by falling tree in Kissena Park
From CBS New York:
A giant tree came crashing down at the popular Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens Sunday evening, leaving a pregnant woman dead.
As CBS 2’s Tracee Carrasco reported, another woman was also injured when the tree came down.
Police were notified of the accident at 6:25 p.m. The woman, who was reportedly in her 30s, was sitting on a bench under the tree when part of it fell.
Officials told 1010 WINS the woman was pregnant. She was reported in traumatic cardiac arrest and in critical condition when she was rushed to New York Hospital Queens. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
It was not known how many months pregnant the woman was, or what happened to the unborn baby after the woman died.
“The city does not put enough money into tree maintenance, and I’ve been furious with the mayor for his plan to plant a million trees when we don’t take care of the trees we already have now,” said state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Queens.)
“This is the twelfth injury over the last eight weeks,” added Geoffrey Croft, president of New York City Park Advocates. “We have been calling on the city to properly inspect its trees; maintain its trees, and it is outrageous.”
16 comments:
Mayor Mike needs to ban trees.
I think planting the trees is one of the only good things Bloomberg has done, it does make the place look nicer, and the shade is good in the summer. However the trees do need to be maintained. I have called 311 giving exact locations of many trees that are completely dead and the parks dept says that it is unfounded. The city needs to get more serious with tree maintenance and address the complaints about dead and damaged trees.
Parks has barely a dozen crew dedicated to tree maintenance----for all of Queens Parks AND street trees! We need help!
Mayor Mike needs to ban pregnant women.
I know exactly which tree this was. I passed it every time I walk in the park. It had been precariously leaning long before Sandy.
If the Parks Dept's tree maintenance budget hadn't been decimated over the past decade, tragedies like this would be avoided. But hey, now the money the city "saved" will fund all the lawsuits of all these poor victims.
The hell with the new "million" scraggly trees, most of which have died their first few years because of lack of any followup maintenance. We need to care for our older park & street trees, for the environment's sake and for the people below them!
Why would we spend Money on tree pruning when we have bacci courts to build? Bacci courts are much more important then hundred pound tree limbs hanging over parents and their kids. Anyone ever think about the cost of maintaining a million new trees in NYC when we cant take care of the ones that are already in the ground.
I grew up across the street from Kissena Park and remember when they had rowboats you could rent on the Lake. Remember the velodrome being built for the 64 Olympic trials. Played many a Little League game there, and "walked the pipe" hoping I didn't fall into the "quicksand" rumored to surround it. :~) Pony rides.
Didnt someone die during hurricane sandy in the area from a tree hitting him.
during the SANDY storm and tornado winds the year before ,many trees fell on houses. yes a young man was crushed and died in his house on 166St/Pigeon Meadow Rd. also.
there are two 110' trees that will probably fall on the houses at 203St./42ave to the LIRR, soon.they must be pruned down or replaced with younger trees.
What's with all the Bacci court bashing ? Did you ever play the game ? Or are the players too manly and you are too intimidated to ask for a game or two ?
When was the last tree inspection performed at this Patk???
Where are the records?
Anon No. 9: You've said this before. What gives you the thought that they are any danger to anyone?
Where's the Queens Parks Commissioner? Probably on vacation again......
geez..that stinks. And I just recalled reading a previous post about people cutting down trees on their own yard, now we might know why owners cut down tree around their own yard. It is to prevent things like this happening to them or to their house and cars especially in a small lot 20 by 100 in queens. If it was Great Neck where the land is larger and trees are away from their house, maybe they won't cut them down!
If they maintain the trees on their property, they wouldn't have to worry about them falling on the house. In your view, every tree in the city should be cut down because it could potentially fall. That's like saying every building should be demolished because it could collapse.
The tree in this case was rotted and should have been addressed by parks.
I agree with all the above comments that I read. I've been working on removing trees dead or "dying" 10 at this writing, in North flushin were removed. However some, including a now 'dead' tree on North West corner of 32 Av and 149 St they replied "condition not found" ~ 98 % of the leaves have turned brown ~ they and the tree are DEAD! And a dead branch on Bayside Av just West of Parsons Blvd is hanging in tree but Parks said "was determined a work order is not necesary at this time". Yeah, they think it will be nec after a piece breaks off (and it falls). Then it will be too late and possibly damage car(s) and injure or god forebid kill someone, because its hanging above the driving lane. I drive around it crossing dbl yellow line, when reasonably safe, to avoid it from potentially falling on me. Btw, after 2 dozen 311 SRs Parks has told me its "a 7 year priunning cycle". So even if NYC/Bloomberg gets more money, possibly from "million trees", would this change to less than 7 yrs? That would be an interesting question and maybe answer, I think. And within a 1 block radius from 32 Av/149 St there are currently 22 Stumps that parks says no money and Tony avella sent them a letter over a month ago, on my behalf, and no answer yet.
I'm having a similar situation/problem with NYPD, 109th Pct. with commercial vehicles parked over night (9pm~5am) though I'd like to eliminate them in day hrs too. ~
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