Tree Falls On SUV, Kills Woman At Orange County Park

ANAHEIM, CA — A woman was killed when a large tree fell onto an SUV at Pearson Park in Anaheim Sunday, the Anaheim Police Department reported.

Anaheim Police officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Harbor Boulevard just before 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19. The woman was reportedly in the backseat of a Ford Explorer, which was parked on the south side of the park.

She was identified as 62-year-old Maria De La Luz Cruz, of Anaheim, Anaheim city officials said in a statement. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The tree was so large that emergency responders had difficulties removing it from the SUV, city officials said.

According to a city statement, 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.

"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 will be evaluated for structure, density, color, fungi or any other issues, the city said. The analysis will also look at longer term weather, including recent rain, wind, and the region's extended drought as factors in the tree's collapse.

The mature tree was estimated to be more than 50 years old and was regularly maintained by the city, officials said.

"An initial assessment on Sunday found the tree to be a living, thriving tree," the statement said. "Out of an abundance of caution, all trees at the park are currently undergoing inspection after Sunday's tree fall."

No further information was immediately available.