Boy Killed By Tree Limb In Lower Southampton: Police

Updated: 3:10 p.m.

LOWER SOUTHAMPTON TOWNSHIP, PA —A 2-year-old boy has been killed after a tree limb fell on him Saturday, police said.

The Lower Southampton Police Department said the accident happened just after 4 p.m. on Midfield Road when the tree limb fell during strong winds right before Saturday's storm.

Detective Sgt. Doug Heiduk said police and medical personnel were dispatched at 4:15 p.m. Saturday to the mid-block of Midfield Road for the report of a "storm-related incident."

After an investigation, police found the boy deceased from severe trauma, Heiduk said. He said the Bucks County Coroner's Office was called to the scene.

"This was a tragic accident," said Heiduk, adding that the family has requested privacy.

Bucks County Coroner Meredith Buck said the boy was in the backyard with his mother and an older sibling when he was struck by a falling section of a tree on Saturday.

The tree split, with a section about 25-30 feet in length and 8-10 inches in diameter, striking the child. The mother and sibling were unharmed, Buck said.

The child was pronounced dead at the scene after response and evaluation by Lower Southampton Police and Medic 114, Buck said.

The coroner said the victim was brought to the Bucks County Forensic Center. Buck determined the cause of death to be a head injury.

The manner of death is accidental.

“This horrible tragedy was an unforeseen act of nature,” Buck said. “High winds came in ahead of the thunderstorms and split a tree on the property. It fell without warning, striking the child’s head. My heart goes out to the family as they grieve this unimaginable loss.”