A student was injured by a falling tree on the CUNY York College campus in Jamaica, Queens, on Friday, according to a school spokeswoman.
The tree fell from the adjacent St. Monica’s Cemetery onto the 159th Street pedestrian path, near the York College Child and Family Center building, just before 1:50 p.m., the spokeswoman said.
The student was alert and responsive when emergency responders were called, but further details about injuries were not immediately available, according to the spokeswoman. An FDNY spokesman said the student, who was not immediately identified, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in serious condition.
“The college is monitoring the student’s condition and extend our best wishes for a quick recovery,” the York College spokeswoman added.
Parts of a tree that fell on and injured one person on York College campus grounds lay strewn on 159th St. off of Archer Ave. Friday afternoon in Queens pic.twitter.com/ZeNDMMcLti
— Rajvi Desai (@rajviedesai) March 2, 2018
Sasha Pacquette, 29, of Jamaica, was about to cross the path when she stopped short at the sight of the fallen tree.
“It scares me … because it’s very windy and these trees seem very hollow,” she said. “We don’t know how long they have been here so I don’t know if the roots are very strong.”
A nor’easter brought strong winds, rain and snow to the five boroughs on Friday.
By about 3:40 p.m., crews from the school had cut the tree into pieces, which remained strewn around the path where it had fallen. Tree shavings flew around amidst strong gusts of wind and light rain.
“You can tell people don’t go out because it’s very windy,” Pacquette added. “After seeing this, I’m going to the path that has no trees; I want to be safe.”
