Tree Limb Injures Elderly Croquet Players In Costa Mesa

COSTA MESA, CA — They meet twice a week at a park off Bear Street to play croquet, but on Monday, the regular Seniors game was disrupted by a falling ficus limb.

The splitting tree branch fell on several players all above age 75, according to Costa Mesa Fire Department.

"A large tree branch fell on several elderly croquet players at Shiffer Park in Costa Mesa Monday morning, but no one was seriously injured," Costa Mesa Fire Department Capt. Chris Coates said.

Firefighters were called to the park at just before 9:45 a.m. when a large ficus tree shed a 50-foot-long branch.

The limb that fell on four seniors, who ranged in age from 75- to 99-years-old, was approximately 18 inches in diameter, according to Capt. Chris Coates.

Two women and one man were taken to an area hospital to be evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries, Coates said. The fourth victim declined transport to a hospital, he said.