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Update: Man Killed By Falling Tree In Central Park
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 25, 2010
Modified Feb 25, 2010
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By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 25, 2010
Modified Feb 25, 2010
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[UPDATE BELOW]: A man was killed "after a tree fell on top of him" in Central Park near the corner of East 69th Street and Fifth Avenue, according to police scanner reports. The victim was found dead at some time before 3:35 pm, and police and emergency workers have been dispatched to the scene. Last year, a man suffered brain damage and spinal injuries after a large tree branch fell more than 30 feet and struck him near West Drive and 63rd Street in Central Park. He has filed suit against the city and the Central Park Conservancy for neglect. Last summer, a willow tree fell into the Pool in Central Park.
Update (4:34 pm): Police sources tell Gothamist that the victim, a 53-year-old male, was walking in the park near the corner of East Drive and 68th Street when he was struck by a falling branch. The Times reports the incident was first reported with a 911 call at around 3:26 pm alerting authorities of a man "sprawled on ground, in distress, with severe wounds to his head."
Meanwhile, police scanner reports indicate a "large tree fell onto a city bus and another auto" near the corner of East 71st Street and Fifth Avenue. The tree struck the vehicles at some time before 4:18 pm, and dispatches requested "equipment and saws" be "walked up to the scene." Following that incident, scanner reports indicate that Fifth Avenue "is shut down."
Update (4:48 pm): Police reports now indicate that the incident involving a tree falling on a city bus and another car on Fifth Avenue has become "a fatal accident." WCBS reports that tree branches struck a bus at the corner of 71st Street, and a car on 69th Street—though the station says there were no injuries. At 4:31 pm, the city's NotifyNYC alert system sent out the following message: "Street closures at 5th ave from East 60th to East 77th due to down trees. Expect delays in the area."
Update (5:22 pm): A witness described the scene to the Times: "It was obviously a direct hit to his head ... There was this big pool of blood spreading through the snow. It was horrifying." The Post reports the incident occurred on Literary Walk, a pedestrian mall lined on both sides by large trees. According to the Daily News, it remains unclear if anyone was injured when tree limbs fell on a bus and car on Fifth Avenue, though MyFoxNY says a single passenger was aboard the BxM3 bus at the time, and "[n]o one was seriously hurt."
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