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Father To Sue Over Baby's Death By Central Park Tree Branch
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 2, 2010
Modified Jul 2, 2010
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1010 WINS
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 2, 2010
Modified Jul 2, 2010
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After a baby was killed by a fallen tree branch near the Central Park Zoo on Saturday and her mother was seriously injured, the baby's father is readying a lawsuit against the city and other agencies. According to the NY Post, "Michael Ricciutti's lawyer filed papers in Manhattan Supreme Court seeking a court order demanding the city preserve all the evidence of Saturday's tragedy, including the branch that killed 6-month-old Gianna."
The family who were visiting from Union City, NJ, had been posing for a photograph—Karla Del Gallo was holding baby Gianna while Ricciutti was taking the picture— near the Delacorte Clock. A branch from a honey locust tree snapped and fell about 25 feet onto mother and child. Ricciutti's court papers mention that Del Gallo suffered "catastrophic injuries," such as "skull, orbital and jaw fractures and severe brain damage," and has undergone "several operations" and remains hospitalized.
The papers also demand that the tree not be further pruned and want information on the tree's maintenance. The Daily News reports, "the filing names the city, the NYPD, the Parks Department, the Central Park Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the zoo." A spokesperson for the city's Law Department said they received the papers, "Again, the case involves a terrible tragedy."
Earlier this week, Mayor Bloomberg said the accident was tragic but a freak accident.
Tagged
baby
central park
central park zoo
karla Del Gallo
lawsuit
Michael Ricciutti
tree branch
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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