Tree Falls on Children in Arroyo near Kidspace Museum, 8 Injured, 2 Critically

A 75-foot pine tree fell on a group of children injuring eight, two of them critically, outside Kidspace Children’s Museum in Brookside Park just south of the Rose Bowl at approximately 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday.

The two children in critical condition were transported to USC Medical Center. Witnesses said one child had his shoulder pinned under the tree and one child had a contorted knee. The other six children were treated on site by the Pasadena Fire Department.

The 33 kids ages five to nine from all over Los Angeles were leaving a day camp put on by Kidspace and about to be picked up by their parents.

Police officers were on scene almost immediately followed quickly by the fire department.

“We commend the Kidspace staff for their quick thinking in evacuating the kids to safety and sheltering them while the scene was secured,” said Lisa Derderian, Public Information Officer for the Pasadena Fire Department.

With kids screaming and running in every direction, moms crying, witnesses described the scene as sheer pandemonium. Many of the bystanders jumped in immediately to help free the children stuck under the tree.

The whole experience was ‘completely unsettling’ for Klea Scott who was just arriving with her five-year-old son Captain Langs at Kidspace. They had gotten lost on the way to the museum, giving them the precious seconds they needed to avoid the falling tree.

“We were on the grass walking up when we heard a crack. I started to run. I said ‘run Captain, run Captain, the tree is falling down,’” Scott said, still shaking and tearing up as she spoke. “I was thinking just get in there and help lift. It was frightening.”

Scott’s son Captain afterward said he was scared of trees. Scott said she took the opportunity to teach her son about the unpredictability of life.

“By the grace of God no one was in line with the tree trunk. Everyone was at the top of the large branches,” Scott said. After the tree crasjhed down, every bystander “was in there pulling off the branches,” she said.

Marisol Navarrete has brought her three children to Kidspace every day this week. The family was buying ice cream when the tree fell. As a certified nurse, she immediately jumped into help lift the kids out from under the tree, but quickly realized it was impossible.

“We love this park, it’s amazing, it’s big, it has a lot for us,” Fernando said, “I just don’t know why, if they knew that tree was bad, a tree for that size there had to be something wrong with it.”

Fernando’s son recalled the moment the tree snapped and fell.

“The branch cracked so loudly. You know when you snap a pencil and it cracks, well imagine that but 100 times louder,” 12-year-old Marisol Fernando said. He said he was the first to call the incident into 9-1-1.

Michael Shanklin, CEO of Kidspace Musuem talked about how his staff responded with quick wits to the unexpected situation.

“We are constantly reviewing our safety protocols and procedures and I am confident that diligence helped minimize injuries and save lives,” Shanklin said. “It hurts us when a child is hurt. I want to ask the community to despite your religion or outlook to send these kids and their families some love and make sure we rally around them.”

Shanklin said thirty-three children are enrolled at the camp. Two of the children injured were campers.

Kidspace will be open to the public tomorrow, Wednesday, July 29, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. as usual. The incident has not compromised the safety of any part of the Kidspace campus, Shanklin said.

“Part of the healing process is to acknowledge what happened and then move on,” Shanklin said.

The Urban Forestry department under the Public Works division of the City does regular tree maintenance throughout the City.

The cause of the fallen tree is unknown, however, the city will have an independent arborist come evaluate the 75-year-old tree as soon as possible.

“We love our trees, we take care of our trees,” City Information Officer William Boyer said, after pointing out that the green lawn and the working irrigation system in the area seemed to indicate that the effects of drought were not present in the area surrounding the tree that fell..

City Manager Michael Beck, Assistant City Manager Steve Mermell, and Director of Human Services and Recreation Mercy Santoro all arrived to the scene to investigate the tree. Their presence was an indication of the seriousness and importance that the City attaches to the situation, Boyer said.

“This is of great concern and interest to the City Manager all down through the organization,” Boyer said.