SAN FRANCISCO—A 36-year-old woman was hit by a tree limb in Washington Square Park on Friday, August 12 at around 3 p.m. The large tree limb was cut down by a city worker. The woman was transported to  San Francisco General Hospital to be treated for life threatening injuries she sustained. The San Francisco Police Department was dispatched around 3:19 p.m. to the area of Columbus Avenue and Filbert Street near the park.

“The branch fell and we believe hit her in the head and when we arrived she was in and out of consciousness,” said SFPD Captain David Lazar.

A tree limb that weighs close to 100 pounds, fell nearly 50 feet in the air hitting the woman. The victim was sitting on the bench watching her two children on the playground when the incident occurred. According to reports, city workers took measurements of the limb before they cut it down. It was approximately 19 inches.

ABC7 News reported that the recreation and park director of operations indicated it has been six years since trees in the region were evaluated.

“Looking at the tree itself we’ve seen it has moisture content and that the wood is very healthy,” said Dennis Kern of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department.

Lt. Jonathan Baxter, a San Francisco Fire Department Spokesman, indicated that the Department of Public Works was dispatching an arborist to the scene to investigate why the branch gave way.

The children are with their father while the mother is recovering at the hospital. They were not injured during the incident.