Tree topples on man in California, retired nurse jumps into action

By Michelle Bandur

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    FAIR OAKS, California (KCRA) — Crews with Sacramento County Regional Parks are removing fallen trees and they’ve got a lot of work on their hands.

The county said there are at least 100 trees to clean up after the storms. One of those trees fell right on top of someone Friday morning in Fair Oaks. Luckily, help was nearby.

Diane Hill was on her daily eight-mile walk at about 8:15 this morning and was about to cross the Fair Oaks bridge when she heard a loud noise that made her jump.

“I heard a crash and I turn around and see the tree down and heard someone calling for help,” she said.

Hill answered the young man’s call and called 911.

“He was in the middle of it and he had the smaller branches over him,” Hill said. “He thought he had hit his head.”

Hill said the man was able to get up out of the branches in the middle of the street without her assistance. She said she did not see any visible injuries.

Her instincts as a retired nurse kicked in.

“I asked him a few questions. ‘How many fingers do you see? And do you have any other symptoms?’ He seemed OK,” she said.

She called 911 but the man didn’t stick around for treatment.

Hill said it rattled her because she had walked by the tree on the hill a couple of times.

“It wasn’t windy. It wasn’t stormy. It has been and it will be, but it wasn’t right now,” Hill said. “It scared me to death afterward and I was thinking I dodged a bullet.”

Crews quickly got to work removing the large oak tree from the path. They used wood chippers and chainsaws to break down the trunk and clean up the branches scattered all over.

County parks said it will take well into next week to clean up the storm damage.

In the meantime, many people took advantage of the break in the storms to get outside and use the trail.

Cyclist Mike Koe said he’s ridden on the trail, dodging puddles and branches.

“It needs time to heal,” Koe said.

The Andre family also enjoyed being outside Friday.

“This is our first time out since all the rain storms have been happening and we were not expecting to see this tree,” Camille Andre said.

County parks said to call 311 if you see a downed tree or any storm damage.

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