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A 28-year-old tourist from Minnesota was killed on Christmas Eve when a giant redwood tree fell on him while he was hiking in Northern California's Muir Woods National Monument Park, authorities said on Thursday.
The tree that fell on Dutta was over 200-feet tall, measuring 4 feet in diameter.
The freak incident occurred about 4:30 p.m. in the national park about 16 miles north of San Francisco, the coroner's office said in a statement.
Emergency medical services were called at approximately 4:38 p.m. and first responders found Dutta beneath the tree. Dutta suffered “severe traumatic injuries” and was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:01 p.m.
"Upon the arrival of first responders to the scene, a male subject was discovered unconscious and lifeless beneath a large redwood tree, which had unexpectedly fallen to the ground."
A woman was also injured by falling debris and was taken to the hospital for treatment, officials said.
Officials said the tree fell following a series of winter rainstorms over the past two weeks.
In the winter of 2016 and 2017, Muir was closed after heavy rainstorms slammed the San Francisco Bay Area, causing up to 12 towering coast redwoods to topple, officials said.
"This is a very rare, and isolated event that may have occurred due to wet ground from recent winter storms, around the roots of the tree. The National Park Service extends its thoughts and prayers to all those involved."
Source: CNN, Good Morning America
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