Park closed after tree topples onto wedding party, killing woman

LOS ANGELES — First came a snapping sound, almost like a firecracker, witnesses said. Next came the chorus of screams.

Federico Flores turned Saturday afternoon in Whittier’s Penn Park and saw a large tree crashing down toward a wedding party, sending a group dressed in gowns and tuxedos scrambling for safety that some could not reach.

The eucalyptus tree, estimated to measure more than 80 feet tall, killed one woman and injured seven other people, including a 4-year-old girl who was listed in critical condition with head trauma, according to Whittier Police Department officials.

At the park, family members and bystanders rushed to free those trapped under the tree’s limbs, Flores told reporters at the scene. Rescuers tried to administer CPR to the woman who later died, he said. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office did not release her identity.

“The mother lost her life. A 4-year-old is injured. How do you explain it? You can’t,” Whittier Mayor Joe Vinatieri said on Sunday. “The tragedy of the situation is on the hearts and minds of many people. We need to pray for the family because of the injuries and losing someone on a day that’s supposed to be a great celebration.”

Those in the wedding party were taken to a nearby community center where mental health counselors and chaplains were on hand to console them, fire officials said. Meanwhile, crews used search dogs to make sure no others were pinned underneath the tangle of branches.