Eight children were injured, two critically, when a gigantic, 75-year-old tree toppled over without warning at Brookside Park outside the Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28th. All of the injured children were between the ages of 6 and 8. They had been attending a day camp and were waiting to be picked up by their parents. The tree fell around 4:50 p.m.
Six of the children were treated for minor injuries at the scene and released to their parents. The two seriously injured children were taken to USC Medical Center in critical condition. One of the victims was upgraded to serious condition over the next day.
According to witnesses, the tree made a loud noise and toppled over without warning, scattering everyone in the area. Parents, counselors, and staff workers rushed to the scene to help rescue children trapped underneath branches of the fallen tree. Search and rescue workers used power tools to dismember the tree to make sure there were no additional trapped victims.
An arborist hired by the city of Pasadena was unable to determine exactly why the tree fell. Trees in Brookside Park are maintained by the city. The incident remains under investigation.
