What should have been one of the happiest days in a young couple’s lives, turned into a horrific scene that resulted in injury and death.

On Saturday, a young couple were having their wedding day photos taken with their bridal party at the base of a large eucalyptus tree in Whittier’s Penn Park. For reasons, still unknown at this time, the 100-foot tree they were under, uprooted and toppled on the group gathered beneath. The result of the freak accident was the death of one woman and injury of five others, including a 4-year-old girl.

The woman killed in the accident is reported to be the mother of the bride and the injured 4-year-old who was hospitalized in critical condition was the bride’s niece.

At this time, Penn Park remains closed as investigations by arborists into the cause of the accident continue. the park will reopen once it is deemed safe to return to the park.

In a statement by Whittier City Manager, Jeff Collier, the city does conduct regular tree-maintenance, “We have a regular tree-maintenance program. We have a certified arborist on our staff that are managing our parks and our street trees, but at this point, we want to make sure we determine what caused this tree to go over.”

Safety in Parks – Who is Responsible

It is our cities who have been mandated with the task of keeping our parks and public places safe. It is their responsibility to take reasonable steps to keep these areas hazard free. Failure to take reasonable action can result in serious injury and/or death.

Most of the time our state, city and local governments do a great job of facilitating clean, safe and open parks and public spaces for all of us to enjoy. However, there are occasions when our parks and streets are not as safe as they should be. Our firm is committed to holding individuals, organizations and government entities accountable when their negligent actions and inactions causes harm to the public. if it can be shown that a third parties negligence has resulted in the injury or death of an innocent person, it is only right that the negligent party should be liable for the damage(s) caused.

This is where TORKLAW steps in. We take on the legal fight for you, when you have been injured in an accident or have lost a loved one due to someone else’s negligence. If you feel you have a claim to make against an individual, organization or government entity, Call our sponsoring law firm today for a free case consultation. We will help you understand your right and the options available to you. Call toll-free (888) 853-6696.

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