Maria De La Luz Cruz, a 62-year-old from Anaheim, was killed on Sunday when a large tree fell onto an SUV at Pearson Park in Anaheim Sunday, according to the Anaheim Police Department.
Anaheim Police officers responded to the park, at the 400 block of Harbor Boulevard, just before 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19. De La Cruz was reportedly in the backseat of a Ford Explorer, which was parked on the south side of the park.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities say she died instantly.
Manuel Cruz, the woman’s husband, told NBC News that he parked the car under the tree because it was a shady spot and he wanted his wife to be comfortable while she sat in the car. The family had stopped after church to play tennis with their 10-year-old son. They would often stop by the tennis courts after church and park near the large tree to take advantage of the shade.
Her 10-yaer-old son Kevin said that “She was a fun mom. We always played together, but now I can’t because she’s up with God already.”
City officials noted that the tree was so large that emergency responders had a hard time removing it from the SUV.
“My heart, and the heart of our city, goes out to the family and all impacted by Sunday’s tragedy at Pearson Park,” Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken said in a statement. “With sorrow and sympathy, our thoughts and prayers are with a family that has lost a loved one in this unthinkable time.”
The tree, a 60-foot bur oak, was cut into three pieces and later moved into a city yard, where it will be examined by a forensic arborist in the next two weeks.
The fallen tree was cut into sections from the base and trunk and removed from atop the vehicle to recover the deceased.
Those tree sections, along with land around where the tree stood at the park, will be what is analyzed over the next two weeks.
The tree’s overall health will be examined for structure, density, color, fungi or any other issues. An initial assessment by a licensed arborist on Sunday found no immediate concerns.
A forensic arborist will look at weather and overall conditions on Sunday and also explore whether there was any recent construction or changes to the area.
There has not been any recent construction in the area around the tree.
An analysis also will look at longer term weather, including recent rain, wind and our region’s extended drought.
The mature tree, estimated at more than 50 years old, was regularly maintained and was most recently trimmed in 2018 within its five-year trimming cycle.
As an oak, the tree is dormant during winter and can appear brown and inactive to untrained eyes this time of year. An initial assessment on Sunday found the tree to be a living, thriving tree.
In addition to regular maintenance, trees at Anaheim parks are inspected on a daily and weekly basis by parks staff looking for any issues of concerns.
Out of an abundance of caution, all trees at the park are currently undergoing inspection after Sunday’s tree fall.
“An initial assessment on Sunday found the tree to be a living, thriving tree,” the city’s statement said. “Out of an abundance of caution, all trees at the park are currently undergoing inspection after Sunday’s tree fall.”
Pearson Park is Anaheim’s oldest park.
No further information was immediately available.
