Art World
Eight Children Injured by Falling Tree at Children’s Museum
The 75-year-old pine tree left two children in critical condition.
The 75-year-old pine tree left two children in critical condition.
Sarah Cascone ShareShare This Article
A 75-foot-tall pine tree fell over and injured eight children at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena, Calif., yesterday afternoon. Two of the injuries are critical.
“I heard a tree crack and then I turned around and I saw little kids running, and then I saw the tree fall on top of the little kids, maybe about five or seven of them,” Greg Prodigalidad, a witness, told KABC-TV.
The children were waiting for their parents to pick them up after day camp when they were injured.
“I myself saw two children carried out on stretchers and they were pretty bloody. That brought tears to my eyes,” added museum volunteer Hanna Lin, whose two daughters attend the camp but were not injured. “Apparently they were doing arts and crafts directly under the tree when it fell on them,” she said.
“We commend the Kidspace staff for their quick thinking in evacuating the kids to safety and sheltering them while the scene was secured,” Lisa Derderian, public information officer for the Pasadena Fire Department, said in a statement. She also told the AP that an arborist will examine the tree to determine why it fell.
The museum hosts a popular Water Wonders Camp throughout the summer, and recently was visited by reality television star Nicole Richie and her children. At the time of the incident, 33 children between ages six and eight were in attendance.
“Our hearts go out to the families of those injured as well as all those who witnessed this frightening incident. We wish everyone a speedy and complete recovery,” said Kidspace CEO Michael Shanklin in a statement issued by the museum.
An urban search-and-rescue team was sent to the scene to cut up the tree to find any other victims. All campers were ultimately accounted for.
While most museum-related accidents generally involve artworks (and selfies), earlier this year, a crane fell onto the Dallas Museum of Art. Luckily, no one was injured as a result of the crash.
Kidspace is open for its normal operating hours today.