Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Falling Tree Kills Pregnant Woman In Queens Park
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 5, 2013
Modified Aug 5, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Aug 5, 2013
Modified Aug 5, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A six months pregnant woman was killed after a tree struck her in a Queens park last night. Yingyi Li, 30, had been sitting on a bench in Kissena Park when the huge oak hit her. A witness told WCBS 2, "We were standing around, and just heard a loud crash and a boom. So my friend and I — we ran over, and when we got there, we saw a girl lying face down and blood just pouring out of her head."
The witness, Sam Kim, added that an EMT who happened to be in the park was there, "He immediately turned her over, and he checked her pulse and noticed her pulse was really weak, and he immediately performed compressions on her chest."
Li's husband, Aleksandar Dikov, was bereft. He spoke to the Post, "She was a very great, loving person. It’s a big shock to me. She was alone. We usually go together," and said to the Daily News, "I was so happy to be with her. She was the one for me. She was the best thing. I don’t think I’ll find another girl like her. I know I won’t." UPDATE: Daily News reporter Oren Yaniv Tweeted, "Heard from EMT who treated pregnant woman crashed by tree: 'Please tell her husband that she fought hard, she fought as long as she could.'"
Resident Salvatore Delligatti said to NBC New York, "The park is old, the trees are old. A lot of trees have been coming down in the past few years with the storms we've been having." A second woman was injured as well.
According to NYC Parks Advocates, at least 12 people have been injured by falling tree branches or trees this summer, including a tourist in Central Park, a woman playing basketball in East Harlem, and a man in Prospect Park.
The city has been criticized for neglecting upkeep of rotting trees in the wake of numerous incidents, including the two killed by tree branches in Central Park in 2010—a man near Fifth Avenue and 69th Street and a six-month-old baby by the Central Park Zoo—and one paralyzed from a tree branch hitting him in Central Park in 2009.
Tagged
falling tree
kissena park
oak
queens
tree
yingyi li
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Parks police told a yoga teacher to leash her dog. It got ugly.
Jurors ruled against Sabrina Toner, finding that the officers did not use excessive force.
By
Samantha Max
Published Oct 2, 2026 at 10:54 a.m. ET
Early Addition: There's finally stuff inside the Times Square tower where the ball drops
Because it used to sit vacant for most of the year, here are your early links: Rangers goalie scored, "It's a Wonderful Life" coming to Broadway, there's dignity in scaffolding and more.
By
James Ramsay
News
Early Addition: There's finally stuff inside the Times Square tower where the ball drops
Because it used to sit vacant for most of the year, here are your early links: Rangers goalie scored, "It's a Wonderful Life" coming to Broadway, there's dignity in scaffolding and more.
By
James Ramsay
NYC subway dragging death highlights an old school MTA failsafe
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
'We were the victim': Brooklyn shelter's new CEO speaks after corruption scandal
By
Ryan Kost
Badly burned body found in a trashed and abandoned Jamaica Queens lot, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .