Tree Falls On Kids Playing In Massachusetts Park, 2 Are Seriously Injured [Video]
Children playing at Washington Park in Chelsea, Massachusetts, were injured when a large tree fell onto the area that they were gathered in. Two of the harmed children received serious injuries and were treated at a local hospital. One child has a fractured skull from the tree’s impact. The boys with the most sever injuries were ages two and eight. The incident occurred at approximately 7 p.m. on Monday evening and emergency crews rushed to the scene hoping the injuries were not as horrendous as they appeared to be on the park’s video surveillance system.
WCVB Boston reported that many of the park’s visitors heard a cracking sound mere moments before the tree fell. However, it was unknown that the tree would crash down upon the children.One of the children, a little girl name Evelyn, shared that her little brother was one of the kids that were seriously injured in the fall.
“His skull is cracked and part of his ear is not that good but thank God he started speaking.”
Parents and friends of the injured children reported that the tree fell so fast that there was no time to react and save the children from harm.
Raw footage of the tree falling show the impact upon the children and the chaos of the parents rushing to save their kids and remove them from harm. The video may be considered graphic for some viewers.
As a result of the falling tree, the park has been closed until all of the trees can be looked over and their safety can be guaranteed, according to WTHR.
Joe Foti with the Department of Public Works reassured that they have qualified arborists working on the investigation in hopes that all dangerous trees will be discovered and removed from the park.
“The arborists are trying to determine if the remaining trees are OK. What needs to come down and what can stay, and what caused the problem we had.”
Although the Department of Public Works is doing all they can to ensure the safety of the park’s visitors, parents of the injured children wonder why the trees were not inspected prior to the accident, especially on the tree that stood so close to where the children play.
The investigation is ongoing. However, there is no information as to why the tree fell in the first place. Investigators hope to find the root cause of the tree’s fall and prevent other trees from doing the same.
[Photo Courtesy: PBS]
