A 61 year old woman had an 80 foot tree fall on her while at her daughter’s wedding party. The massive eucalyptus fell on her and several other people in her family in Whittier last December. The family has filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court citing wrongful death “and that a dangerous condition of public property
existed.”
The tree fell on December 17, 2016, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Margarita Mojarro’s husband Feliciano Mojarro along with their four children – including Patricia, the bride – are seeking unspecified damages.
After the tree fell on Margarita, she was taken to the hospital where she later died. In addition, the niece of the bride, a 3 year old girl, was taken to the hospital and was in critical condition. The child underwent a dramatic brain injury while six others had less threatening injuries.
According to the lawsuit, the Blue Gum eucalyptus was “acutely deceased… Before plaintiffs knew what was happening, the massive, multi-thousand pound tree was upon them and they could not escape its path of destruction.” The suit claims that the “city knew of the dangerous condition of the tree and had the means and authority to protect park visitors against such a tragedy.”
Investigations revealed that the eucalyptus tree had been over watered after a storm earlier that week and was growing on a 20 percent grade, which is unsafe terrain for any plant of that age and size. Investigators also believe that it was weakened after the severe California drought earlier that year.
This park in particular has always been a popular spot with visitors because of the photography opportunities. The attendees of the wedding party were supposedly posing for pictures in front of the massive, mature trees as the eucalyptus fell.
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