San Francisco Tree Accident
On the warm evening of May 26, 2020, a large tree limb crashed down in Washington Square Park, which is in the North Beach neighborhood in San Francisco. The limb fell close to Filbert Street and was so large it covered a sizable area within the park – much of it struck a planter and the sideway. Police cordoned off the area with police tape, and emergency responders treated some of the injured bystanders at the scene.
According to San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department, the tree that dropped a limb had received a “good” report on its health during its last inspection, which occurred in June 2017. The San Francisco tree that fell was a mature sycamore tree.
The large tree limb crashed to the ground around 5:30 p.m. Branches from the limb struck a group of people. Five people, including a two-year-old child, sustained injuries. The child was taken to a hospital for evaluation. None of the injuries appeared to be critical, thankfully.
Bystanders’ Accounts
There were more people than usual in the park when the incident occurred, many seeking cool shade since it was an unusually warm evening. Witnesses say that the limb drop was preceded by a loud cracking sound, followed by what was described as a “big explosion” that sent splinters and debris flying. After it had become clear what happened, onlookers ran over and lifted the large branch to ensure that no one was underneath.
This is Not the First Time a San Francisco Tree has Caused Injuries
Unfortunately, this was not the first tree accident to occur in Washington Square Park. Four years ago, tragedy struck when Emma Zhou was paralyzed from the waist down after being hit in the head by a 100-pound limb that sheared off a pine tree. She had been watching her two children play at the playground. The City ultimately paid $14.5 million to settle Ms. Zhou’s lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that the parks department had failed to properly maintain the pine trees that grow within Washington Square Park.
Maintenance of a San Francisco Tree
City-owned trees are visited and maintained on a rotating schedule. Usually, several years pass between maintenance visits to a particular tree. StreetTreeSF is the City’s street tree maintenance program that went into effect in 2017. At StreetTreeSF’s inception, many city trees were in bad health and presented dangerous conditions, so the program began operating on a “worst first” basis. After the trees most in-need-of-attention were either removed or trimmed, a regular rotating maintenance schedule was implemented.
The Phenomenon is Not So Rare
Every year in California, people are injured, and their property is damaged by falling trees or falling tree limbs. The combination of hot weather, drought conditions, and substantial winds amount to a particularly risky environment for tree fall accidents. What would seem like a freak occurrence is more foreseeable given the arid climate in many parts of the state. In fact, the evening after the Sycamore tree branch fell on May 26, a ficus tree bordering Washington Square Park dropped a 12-foot-long limb. The second branch drop did not result in any injuries.
Below is a KPIX news clip reporting on the limb fall incident.
What to Do if You are Injured in a San Francisco Tree Accident
There are several complexities involved with pursuing a claim against the city, county, state, or private property owner for injuries caused by a tree falling. It is essential to seek expert legal help from an attorney experienced in tree cases if you ever sustain injuries caused by a fallen tree or tree branch.
San Francisco Tree Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Tree Injury Lawyer in San Francisco. If you or a family member were hit by a falling tree or tree branch and suffered injuries, please reach out to my firm for free, friendly advice at (800) 404-5400 or (415) 805-7284.
I have worked tirelessly on behalf of injured Northern Californians for more than 38 years. Have a look at our settlements and verdicts. Many of our past clients have written reviews of our services:
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Image by Dragonflies1113 from Pixabay
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