HEROIC MOM RECOVERING AFTER SAVING KIDS FROM FALLING CENTRAL PARK TREE; DECAYED ROOTS CITED

Photo by Mary Vooss.

Anne Monoky Goldman shielded her children from an Elm tree that fell on them as they walked in Central Park near 62nd Street on Tuesday, according to the Post. Goldman sustained the brunt of the impact, which broke her neck and left her unconscious. She had been walking through the park with her newborn strapped to her chest, and her 2 and 4 year olds in a stroller.

“The mother hit her head trying to shield branches from striking the children,” said FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer.

Goldman lost consciousness while pinned under the tree, and rescuers had to use chainsaws to cut her out of the tangled mess of branches.

When the mom came to, she reached for her children, witnesses said.

“She was out for 3 minutes, then woke up immediately asking about her kids,” said Jack Jones, 39, a nurse from Michigan who had been jogging with his wife.

The 2-year-old, Grant sustained a fractured skull, while the newborn and 4 year old were discharged from the hospital were able to be discharged on Wednesday, the Post reported.

A spokesperson for the Central Park Conservancy, which cares for the trees in the park, told us that the roots were decayed.

The American elm that fell across the West Drive at 62nd Street uprooted as a result of decay in the root system beneath the surrounding pavement. The tree had been inspected annually over the last six years, most recently in November 2016, and there were no visible signs of decay or disease.

The Conservancy employs tree crews seven days a week who regularly inspect and maintain Central Park’s nearly 20,000 trees according to industry standards. The safety of all 42 million annual visitors is our number one priority in the management of Central Park in partnership with NYC Parks.