2 children killed after a tree limb fell on to their tent while they were sleeping
2 young people were killed early Friday after a limb from an
oak tree fell on their tent as they slept at a popular
campground in Yosemite National Park. The names and
ages of the minors were not released, and their
deaths remain under investigation, according to
park spokesman Scott Gediman. Tuolumne County
sheriff’s officials said they will not release the
young people’s identities.
"Our thoughts are with the families as they grieve
this tragedy," park Supt. Don Neubacher said in a
statement.
The youngsters were sleeping in their tent at the popular
family Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley. Then
at about 5 a.m., a limb from a black oak collapsed on them,
Gediman said.
The park’s dispatchers received numerous 911 calls for
medical assistance. When they arrived to the campground,
the youngsters were dead.
It is unclear why the tree limb fell, but officials said it
wasn’t windy that morning, Gediman said.
“Fallen branches like this one are a common occurrence
across the park,” he said.
Situated at 4,000 feet in the Yosemite Valley near Curry
Village, the campground with views of the park’s most
iconic rock formation Half Dome is the chosen destination
for families site.
The youngsters’ deaths add to what appears to be a long
history of tree-related fatalities at the park.
Two tourists were killed and nine were injured in 1985 when
a 25-foot oak branch fell 15 feet onto an open-air tram
carrying 50 passengers.
The same series of events happened in 1992, when a
branch from an oak tree fell onto another touring bus,
injuring seven people. The visitors were stopped on a main
road near the Merced River to observe Yosemite Falls. The
large branch came crashing as the tour guide spoke.
In Friday’s incident, drought may have played a role but it’s
too early to say, Gediman said. Bark beetles steer away
from oak, so he said that likely didn’t cause the limb to fall.
LA Times
oak tree fell on their tent as they slept at a popular
campground in Yosemite National Park. The names and
ages of the minors were not released, and their
deaths remain under investigation, according to
park spokesman Scott Gediman. Tuolumne County
sheriff’s officials said they will not release the
young people’s identities.
"Our thoughts are with the families as they grieve
this tragedy," park Supt. Don Neubacher said in a
statement.
The youngsters were sleeping in their tent at the popular
family Upper Pines Campground in Yosemite Valley. Then
at about 5 a.m., a limb from a black oak collapsed on them,
Gediman said.
The park’s dispatchers received numerous 911 calls for
medical assistance. When they arrived to the campground,
the youngsters were dead.
It is unclear why the tree limb fell, but officials said it
wasn’t windy that morning, Gediman said.
“Fallen branches like this one are a common occurrence
across the park,” he said.
Situated at 4,000 feet in the Yosemite Valley near Curry
Village, the campground with views of the park’s most
iconic rock formation Half Dome is the chosen destination
for families site.
The youngsters’ deaths add to what appears to be a long
history of tree-related fatalities at the park.
Two tourists were killed and nine were injured in 1985 when
a 25-foot oak branch fell 15 feet onto an open-air tram
carrying 50 passengers.
The same series of events happened in 1992, when a
branch from an oak tree fell onto another touring bus,
injuring seven people. The visitors were stopped on a main
road near the Merced River to observe Yosemite Falls. The
large branch came crashing as the tour guide spoke.
In Friday’s incident, drought may have played a role but it’s
too early to say, Gediman said. Bark beetles steer away
from oak, so he said that likely didn’t cause the limb to fall.
LA Times
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