Personal Injury Law

Nine-Year-Old Boy Dies from Injuries Sustained from Falling Tree at the Hashawha Environmental Center in Westminster, Maryland

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

Noah Asid, the 9-year-old who was injured on December 29 when a large hickory tree fell on him at the Hashawha Environmental Center has died at a Baltimore hospital. Asid, who was attending a nature camp, was getting ready to go hiking with a group of children and counselors when the tragic accident happened.

According to reports, the 60-foot tree fell against a maple tree. This caused the maple branches to give way and the hickory and a number of large branches to hit the ground, striking Asid and another child. The girl, 10, has been released from Carroll Hospital Center.

The Carroll County sheriff?s office is determining what caused the tree to fall. Winds hitting speeds of up to 35 mph on the day of the accident may have been a factor.

Falling Tree Accidents
Falling tree accidents are not as uncommon as they sound and can cause catastrophic injuries to children and adults. Trees in parks, public areas, and other places frequented by children and other members of the public must be properly maintained so that they don?t pose a premise liability. If a property owner or overseer could (and should have) been taken to prevent the premises liability accident from happening, the victim or surviving family members can sue for Maryland personal injury or wrongful death.

Just last year, a 30-year-old man died after he was hit by a tree branch that fell in New York?s Central Park. In December, a wrongful death settlement was reached with the family of a woman who died after a tree fell on the car that she and her daughter were riding. The tree?s decaying root system contributed to its fall.

Falling tree injures children, Carroll County Times, January 6, 2010

Update: Boy, 9, injured by falling tree at Hashawha Environmental Center, dies, Carroll Eagle, January 1, 2010

Related Web Resources:
Hashawha Environmental Center

Recognizing Tree Hazards, Trees are Good

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on January 06, 2010 (boomark / email).