Apr 14, 2008 5:35 pm US/Pacific
Woman Dead After Tree Falls On Her At SF Park
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / BCN) ―
A woman was killed Monday in a freak accident at San Francisco's Stern Grove when gusty wind apparently caused a a portion of a redwood tree to fall on her, authorities said.
The incident happened about 11:30 a.m. at the Stern Grove parking lot off Sloat Boulevard near Concert Meadow.
The woman was loading her dog into her car after having taking it for a walk in the park when when part of a tree broke off and fell, police Sgt. Wilfred Williams said.
The victim, who suffered critical injuries at the scene, was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital where she died about 12:15 p.m., according to the coroner's office.
Her name was not immediately released, but authorities believe the woman was in her 50s.
The dog jumped out of the destroyed Subaru Outback after the tree fell on it and was retrieved, unharmed, by animal control officials.
While fire Lt. Mindy Talmadge said she wasn't 100 percent certain that wind was to blame for the death, she added: "It was quite windy out there (at Stern Grove)."
The National Weather Service issued an alert Monday about gusty wind being experienced at their recording station at San Francisco International Airport.
Sustained west winds at 38 mph with gusts up to 44 mph were blowing, the NWS said.
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