It was very windy in Tallinn, yesterday, to the damage of many a tree. While most that fell spared people, in Kadriorg a large branch tragically dropped onto a woman seated on a bench in the park.
Trees hurt trolley wire and lady on park bench
2nd June 2015, 13:47
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Rescue Board press rep Barbara Lichtfeldt said they got notice 12:57 pm that in Kadriorg, in immediate vicinity of Swan Pond, a lady was stuck under a tree that broke. As the rescue team arrived, they had to cut the lady out so the medical staff could help her.
According to an eyewitness, the lady was sitting on a bench suspecting no harm as a large branch broke from the tree and fell right on top of her. «It took the Rescue Board a lot of time till they managed to cut her loose from the thicket,» she said, adding that as a person to frequently spend time sitting on these vary benches, she could never have imagined a thing like this happening.
The medical staff laid the lady on a vacuum mattress, inserted a cannula and transported her into a hospital. Usually, a vacuum mattress is used when broken bones or spine is suspected.
The tree fell at the place where J. Poska St and L. Koidula St cross, unto the park bench at the very edge.
«In hindsight, it is very difficult to pinpoint the cause of the accident in Kadriorg. An observation of the tree says this was an old horse chestnut and its side branches may sometimes be loosely attached to the trunk. Add trunk rot and a strong wind, and a branch may up and break loose,» said Sulev Järve, a warden and dendrologist at Tallinn environmental service.
By 5 pm yesterday, rescuers had received 14 calls dealing with broken trees. Thankfully, the other cases injured nobody. Meanwhile, the traffic suffered.
Before noon, at Toompuiestee Avenue in central Tallinn a large tree fell onto the street, breaking the overhead trolleybus lines. For hours, the traffic was disturbed and the trolleybuses reorganised.
A hundred metres or so from the three on the street, another one fell within 40–50 metres of children on a playground.
«The trees are in a condition where a tragic accident will happen sooner or later. It’s been a close call enough times now,» arborist Heiki Hanso warned in interview to Postimees, in April. «Lots of work needs to be done to avoid having a tree victim added to the icicle or facade victims. Till today, however, there’s not even a separate budget line in Tallinn for tall greenery.»
Mr Hanso said a large part of Tallinn’s tall greenery is unmaintained and unplanned, dangerous and a burden on city budget. For a sustainable and prudent result, a third might be felled at once.
«It’s the most problematic with the trees at the sides of the streets, as affected by polluted air, vibration and trampling. In order to assess need to cut down trees, specific research is needed,» said Rita Karbi, town-gardener and head of greenery department at Tallinn environmental board. «The city of Tallinn esteems its tall greenery and mass liquidation of trees is definitely not planned.»