Bloomberg: Baby's Death In Central Park A "Tragic" Accident

Mother Karla DelGallo and child Gianna Ricciutti. (Via Facebook)

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says the tree branch which fell and killed a 6-month-old baby and left her mother in the hospital on Saturday came from a healthy tree. "The tree limb that fell was in full leaf. There was no evidence to the naked eye looking up at it that it was in any danger of falling," he told WCBS, noting that the tree had been inspected within the last six months.

According to Mayor Bloomberg, there is no one to blame for the killer tree. He told reporters, "It’s very tragic, and trying to assign blame isn’t really something that we should be focusing on." He also added, "Only if you cut down every single tree in the city down to ground level can you guarantee that nothing’s going to fall. Unfortunately, nature works that way."

Tree specialist Bob D'Ambrosio agreed, saying the tree—a Honey Locust—broke because of a phenomenon called a "sudden branch drop." He said, "it happens only when the temperatures are very warm, very hot, a lot of humidity and no wind whatsoever," which were the conditions on Saturday. Bill Logan of Urban Arborists also told the Daily News, "This is one of the most reliable street trees, not very prone to breakage."

But the consensus that it was a freak accident hasn't stopped some park watchdog groups from lambasting tree maintenance. Central Park spends between $600,000 and $1 million a year to care for 23,500 trees, but NYC Park Advocates Geoffrey Croft said, "We don't have enough people inspecting and we don't have people doing basic horticultural maintenance on our trees." Yesterday, workers were out pruning trees near 72nd Street, what the Central Park Conservancy called "routine maintenance."

Last July, a man suffered critical injuries after a rotting tree branch fell on him near West Drive and 63rd Street. In February, a man was killed by a branch at East Drive and 68th Street. And, last month, people were injured by a fallen branch near the Boathouse.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jaya Saxena in News on June 29, 2010 10:38 AM

Comments [rss]

Cannibal

I was away from my desk for a second, did I miss anything?????

grizzzly

In a sort of related note, is anyone else slightly creeped out by news sites (not just gothamist) mining personal photos on facebook for images to use with stories? While people shouldn't expect these photos to be private, it still seems a little underhanded to use this material in that manner.

dadoc

Bad stuff happens sometimes. Sometimes really bad stuff happens. Sometimes the most unbelievably horrible stuff happens, out of the blue, and by pure stupid statistical intersection. Let's not forget the injured woman, as well as the husband/father. The child's pain is over. The parents' pain is acute now and will live with them forever. May they find peace in whatever way possible.

evbo

Amen. I hope they can.

Stewart

This is a horrific, utterly heartbreaking story. I am so very sorry for this beautiful baby girl and her family.

whitecastlerock

This was such a tragedy. That poor family-losing their child in such a horrific manner.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Youngpro, if I am so unimportant then why create a blog and facebook page about me and try to hook up with mr on facebook until I blocked you. Lol. I dibt care if your boobs are real. You are a jacked up snookie looking throw back. You ate one if those low quality desperate shanks trolling the strrets at night but NO ONE is interested.

youngpro

um i certainly did not create a facebook page about you. nice try.

and i ate whaaaatt?

laisla

Would you be alive if you ate a shank? Hmmm...

youngpro

maybe he meant a shank steak? but why low-quality?

youngpro

PEOPLE

stop feeding felix. he thrives off garbage like flies and roaches.

he will also stalk the fuck out of you. i saw his facebook and he was a member of Christine Quinn and Bloomberg groups just so he could watch the happenings on the groups' walls and see where events were going to be held so he could show up and taunt people. this is the same reason why he knows about hughass, valierob, and ridgeside.

felix,

if there is one thing to learn from today is that you are absolutely unimportant in the city of new york. you could be run over by a subway and the city wouldnt miss a beat.

p.s. my chest is REAL, baby.

valeriob

Although I don't wish harm on the kid, I would like to confirm the realness of the aforementioned chest. ;)

i kid i kid!

ridgeside

What I disagree with you so I just HAVE to be the one on your "doctored" video, idiot! What link do you want me to post? I have no link.

Guest

Felix wants links because he collects them to use later to further his sick, twisted agenda. He's exactly like serial killers that collect newspaper clippings.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

And yes do ignore my comments since you don't post any fact. I guess it is appropriate to post to remember Billy mays when this story is about the baby's death. Your true colors came out. It wasn't the baby that was the issue but you. How lame and cowardly to use the baby's death to hide your malfeasance.

youngpro

'and perhaps babies wouldn't die of hunger because of asshole like you that eat foie gras which is made by force feeding ducks/geese till their livers are 20X their normal size.'

then...

'I guess it is appropriate to post to remember Billy mays when this story is about the baby's death.'

and that relates to a dead baby in central park how?

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Ridgeside, the dairy farmer and probably the same one on the undercover video punching and kicking cows in the mercy for animal video. UN never did such a retraction. Why don't you post the link. Liar.

ridgeside

http://www.fao.org/docrep/012/k7930e/k7930e00.pdf

Now this link is not full of the typical propaganda that you read and doesnt have any pictures of dead animals, so im sure you wont read it, but here it is. You will have to make up some new BS now.

FelixtheCat & Christine Quinn'

Seriously? This report only covers one aspect of your cruel industry the GHG emissions, doesn't include water pollution, air pollution, land erosion, etc.

Here is the video of a dairy farm,

http://bit.ly/aX1PMs

ridgeside

um , that's the link you said wasn't true, now that I posted it your moving further down your agenda of made up BS. Why was it that M.F.A. videoed this farm for so long, yet did NOTHING to stop it ? Probably because, that would have interfered with their newest fundraising campaign. I would bet cash money that they planted that guy on that farm , just to get some good footage, why else would someone behave in such a disgusting manner on film. They will do anything for more donations.