Man, Critically Injured By Tree Branch, "Slowly Recovering"

Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, with his daughter

The 33-year-old man who was struck by a falling tree branch in Central Park appears to be recovering: Sasha Blair-Goldensohn's mother Gwenda Blair told CityRoom, "He finally started responding when they said, ‘Raise your hand and open your eye.'" She also said to the Daily News, "He's slowly improving. We think that he's going to be okay."

Blair-Goldensohn, a married father of two, had been walking in the park on Wednesday morning when a rotting 100-pound tree branch fell on West Drive near 63rd Street. The branch hit Blair-Goldensohn, and, according to CityRoom, he was left with "a gash in his skull, [damage to] his upper vertebrae and... a partial lung collapse." It turns out that joggers rushed to his aid: Dr. Rajiv Narula told the Post, "I was jogging on the other side of the street when I heard a loud snap, followed by a lady screaming...He was breathing, but unconscious -- and blood was squirting out of the back of his scalp. I looked in his bag and found a pair of jeans, which I used as a compress." He and others stayed with Blair-Goldensohn until the paramedics arrived.

Gwenda Blair said her daughter-in-law is "holding up," and noted her own shock, "His dad died when he was 8 so this was like, 'Oh, my God, this can't be happening again.'" And the Parks Department said it was checking trees, but "It's an impossible task to know the status of every single tree."

Narula is happy to hear Blair-Goldensohn was improving (though he's still under sedation to reduce swelling). And the News adds, "Narula said he diverted from his usual route through the park Wednesday, from his Columbus Circle home to Woolman Rink and back. 'This time, for whatever reason, I just ran a different way," he said. "It was just one of those things.'"

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By Jen Chung in News on July 31, 2009 10:34 AM

Comments [rss]

catatonina

thanks for following up on this story - this guy and his family have been on my mind all week. Dr. Narula, you are awesome for being so quick thinking!

joshuadog

Where is Sully when you need him ??!?

NannyState

Excellent! I love happy endings!

JacqueMehoff

I don't care that he's rich, he's a ny'er who went to hunter college HS and he's open enough to marry outside his race is a plus. a Big plus. very cute baby girl.

Rocknrope

Cute baby. Looks like a halfsie.

TheKlaus

I don't know what wealth has to do with anything, but I for one am glad that he is getting better. Rich or poor, I'd be glad if ANYONE stricken by such a weird freak accident shows signs of recovery.

TheTruth

Rich man injured in accident! Stay tuned for more updates!

Rocknrope

I don't know if he's rich, but as a Ph.D at 33, he does seem intelligent and well-educated. One can almost smell the unmistakeable stench of envy emanating off your body as one reads your post.

Did you get rejected from Columbia or Google?

PTG in nyc

Yea, he's really rich, having student loan debt in the hundreds of thousands and working for a company with such good perks that they don't pay their employees a gillion dollars.

You're an asshole TheTruth. Also, he's a PhD from Columbia, not an ibanker. Now every genius is automatically a rich guy? I'm sure he'll one day be a rich guy, being that he seems to have worked hard and earned it and all.

jaycjay

The story was being covered before anyone knew who he was or where he worked. It's an interesting and compelling story in any case, and whoever it may have happened to his biographical information would be included in coverage.

Trolling success, though. You've gotten at least three of us to reply.

Roger McDowell

Hmm, I think getting hit by a falling tree branch large enough to inflict potentially fatal injury is the story here. I think, regardless of his financial status, the story is unique and would carry on its own. Way to be a jackass, "thetruth"

JacqueMehoff

good news, keep them coming.

and a thank you to Dr. Narula.

Jen Chung

Yes, it seems like one lucky thing in this horrible accident is that there were other people around and who could come to his aid and call 911. I hope for more good news, too.