Woman crushed when 60-foot oak tree topples onto SUV at park, California officials say
A woman was killed when a 60-foot oak tree toppled onto the SUV she was inside of at a California park, city officials said.
Maria De La Luz Cruz, 62, was waiting in a Ford Explorer while her husband and 10-year-old son played tennis at Pearson Park on Sunday, Feb. 19, in Anaheim, KNBC reported and the city of Anaheim said in a news release.
She was sitting in the backseat of the vehicle when the massive tree fell, KABC-TV reported.
A photo of the incident obtained by the outlet shows the back end of the vehicle nearly flattened.
Rescuers said the woman was trapped and pronounced dead when they got to the scene, the city said.
“She was a fun mom. We always played together, but now I can’t because she’s up with God already,” her 10-year-old son told KNBC.
The tree was chopped into three pieces and taken to a city yard so a forensic arborist could learn why it fell, officials said.
The sections of the tree, weather conditions and the land around it will be examined in the next couple of weeks, officials said.
The arborist will also look at the tree’s health, as well as looking for fungi.
City officials said the oak tree was over 50 years old, and it was last trimmed in 2018, within its trimming cycle.
This tree was a “living, thriving tree,” officials said.
Every tree in the park will now be inspected, officials said.
“My heart, and the heart of the city, goes out to all impacted by Sunday’s tragedy at Pearson Park,” Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said in a statement following the incident. “With sorrow and sympathy, our thoughts and prayers are with a family that has lost a loved one in this unthinkable time.”
Anaheim is about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.
This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Woman crushed when 60-foot oak tree topples onto SUV at park, California officials say."
