ICYMI: Decayed Roots Caused Tree To Collapse On Mother, 3 Sons In Central Park

CENTRAL PARK, NY — Decay and rotting roots led to a Tuesday morning tree collapse that sent a mother and her three sons to the hospital, according to multiple reports.

The Central Park Conservancy — the private organization responsible for the park's upkeep — confirmed that the tree "uprooted as a result of decay in the root system beneath the surrounding pavement," ABC NY reported.

The tree was last inspected in November 2016 and showed no visible signs of decay at the time, the Central Park Conservancy told ABC NY. The organization inspected the tree annually for the past six years, according to the report.

The Central Park Conservancy did not immediately return Patch's request for comment.

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Anne Monoky Goldman, 39, broke her neck when a giant elm tree collapsed on her and her children Tuesday morning, her brother-in-law told the New York Post. Goldman was walking through the park with her three children — James, an infant, Grant, 2, and Will, 4, — the Post reported. The two year old suffered a fractured skull during the tree collapse, but the other children were discharged from the hospital Goldman's brother-in-law told the Post.

Goldman and the three children were taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital after being struck by the falling tree around 10 a.m., city Parks Department officials told Patch. The tree collapsed on West Drive near West 62nd street, completely blocking the roadway.

Photo by NYPD Central Park Precinct