Woman Hit By Falling Tree Branch In Washington Square Park: NYPD

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — A tourist was critically injured after a tree branch fell on her head in Washington Square Park, according to police and reports.

The woman was on a park bench when the limb fell about 7:40 p.m. Monday, police said.

The New York Post reported she is a 55-year-old woman visiting New York City from Virginia and she was with her teenage son when the branch fell.

The woman was in critical condition when she was taken to Bellevue Hospital, the NYPD said.

The woman suffered a fractured skull and spine and a cut on the back of her head, but was in stable condition at Bellevue Tuesday, the Daily News reported.

A Parks Department spokeswoman told Patch the tree showed signs of suffering from a fungus, which may have caused the tree limb to fall.

"This morning's preliminary inspection indicates that the tree shows signs of having Massaria, a fungus, which may have caused the limb to fail," said Parks spokeswoman Crystal Howard. "We will conduct further inspections of the tree, and surrounding trees, and will address accordingly."

The London plane tree was inspected nearly two years ago in July 2017 and prior to that in November 2015, according to the department. It was last pruned in August 2017. The condition of the tree was considered to be "fair" and the risk "low," per Parks.

The fungal issue is most often found in London plane trees and it is tied to stress often from a lack of water availability, according to the department.