Take our user survey and make your voice heard.
A 6-year-old girl was seriously injured after a 20-kg branch broke off a Zelkova tree and hit her on the head in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture.
According to police, the incident occurred at 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon on the outer premises of a Fullel Saginuma store in Miyamae Ward. TV Asahi reported that the branch, which was about 9 meters long, broke off the tree and fell from a height of 6.5 meters and hit the kindergarten girl as she was walking along the sidewalk with her mother and 3-year-old sister.
The girl was taken to hospital to be treated for head injuries and her condition is stable, police said Wednesday. Her mother and sister were not injured.
According to police, the tree was planted over 36 years ago, and the branch fell was likely due to the fact that the tree was dying, and thus becoming weaker. The manager of a nearby store said inspection of the roadside trees was irregular and insufficient, TV Asahi reported.
© Japan Today
8 Comments
Login to comment
gaijinfo
I'd have to agree. It seems as though the branch fell without making any kind of sound (otherwise they would have gotten out of the way) which means it was kind of just hanging there. Something a tax collecting city official should have noticed.
Ah_so
If what the shop keeper says is true, then the local officials bear some responsibility for this. If you have trees, bits will die and drop off and so they require regular inspection and maintainance.
But I would not like to see an over-reaction, with the chopping down of all trees in case this happens again. Even with cared for trees, acts of God happen and are unfortunately a part of life we cannot erradicate.
John Galt
The owner of the property is responsible for the care of the trees. The liability for the girl's tragic injury is on the property owner.
Tahoochi
How unfortunate for this girl and her family.
Steven C. Schulz
Awful. Praying for her quick recovery.
nath
There are so many hanging branches where I live, and I've never seen any trimmed. =/
TSRnow
Oh, I hope the poor girl recovers!! A skull fracture is not just a head injury. It's a serious one.
On TV, a tree doctor pointed out that some of the branches had cracks and others were completely dead, in just a glance. The property is owned by Tokyu which runs Fullel which they conveniently left out. They should have made the necessary inspections during these 30 something years.
I used to live close by a decade or something ago and walked under this very tree too often.
Apsara
Anywhere in Japan I've lived, the roadside trees usually get trimmed to within an inch of their lives at least once a year- how odd that no trimming ever happens in your area! Must depend on the region.