Toddler And Mom, 19, Taken To Hospital After Being Struck By Tree In North Bergen

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — An 18-month-old toddler, along with the child's mother and four other people, were treated for injuries after a tree fell at North Hudson Braddock Park in North Bergen during storms over the weekend.

The child had minor injuries and is expected to recover, an official said. However, the child's mother, 19, is still being treated at the hospital.

North Bergen police responded to a report at 6 p.m. on Saturday that a large tree branch fell, injuring six people at the park.

"A 19-year-old female was pinned under the branch and North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue responded to free her," said a town spokesperson. "She was taken to the hospital where she underwent a number of surgeries and is still being treated."

The woman's 18-month-old daughter "suffered minor injuries including scratches and was taken to the hospital for observation but has since been released."

The Hudson County Sheriff's Department also responded and conducted an investigation of the incident.

The sprawling park is a popular destination in North Bergen, a New Jersey town on the Hudson River waterfront across from upper Manhattan.

Two Children Lost

A number of weather-related injuries and deaths occurred during severe thunderstorms over the weekend, including two young children lost in flooding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, near the New Jersey border.

Children have also died in the past when trees fell during bad weather. In January, a toddler died when a tree fell on his home during storms in California.

While such accidents are rare and often unpredictable, they're a reminder that seemingly routine storms can escalate quickly. Follow the National Weather Service forecasts and warnings here.

In the summer of 2010, a 6-month-old Union City, N.J. girl died when a tree fell on her at the Central Park Zoo, although that incident was not weather related. Her family eventually won a $13.5 million legal settlement, according to a report.