A dad is trying to recover from serious injuries after a large tree fell and hit him at a park in Alameda.
The horrifying scene played out as that father was watching his daughter play softball on Friday.
That pine tree is gone on Monday night but not before traumatizing people at Washington Park.
And on Monday night, that park is back open.
You can see the damage it did to the picnic table. The man injured has not been identified, but the City of Alameda says their thoughts are with him as he begins a long road to recovery.
The city says the tree that fell appeared healthy, but all the rain last week and the slope the tree was on were factors.
After the tree fell, crews took down another just to be safe.
The city says arborists last inspected the trees in 2017 and maintenance staff checks them out on a daily basis.
An arborist will be back at Washington Park on Tuesday.
Here is a statement from the city:
On Friday, March 23, there was a tragic accident when a large pine tree in Washington Park fell and seriously injured an Alameda man while watching his daughter play softball.
On Saturday, March 24, the City posted the following update:
We want residents to know that the City is taking this very seriously to prevent future accidents. Our Recreation and Parks Department confirmed that arborists regularly assess park trees in Alameda, most recently in 2017. In addition, maintenance staff assess park trees on a daily basis. The tree that fell Friday had appeared to be healthy, but the wet soils from recent rains combined with being on a sloped area may have played a role. The fallen tree was removed right away, and today our workers removed a second tree in an abundance of caution and assessed the other trees on the hill. Because of this work, Washington Park is safe and open to the public.
This morning, a Maintenance Supervisor for the Alameda Recreation & Park Department (ARPD) assessed all of the trees on the slope at Washington Park with a tree contractor, and an arborist will be doing a further review tomorrow. An additional assessment of all park trees in Alameda will be completed over the coming weeks.
Our thoughts are with this Alameda father, as he begins his long road to recovery. We are thankful for our first responders who not only assisted those injured, but assisted with the needs of the families and children who witnessed this terrible accident. And we are thankful for the entire Alameda community, who always come together in times of need.