'Young local child' critically injured by falling branch near Auckland playground

Wednesday, 15 February 2023

Trees are taped off at Madills Farm in Kohimarama, a popular reserve and playground in central Auckland. A person was critically injured on Tuesday by a falling tree after ground is sodden due to Cyclone Gabrielle.

The person critically injured by a falling branch at Madills Farm in central Auckland on Tuesday afternoon is a “young child”, a witness has confirmed.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, a resident whose property backs onto a path on Madills Farm – a popular playground on Allum St in Kohimarama – said “a young local child was hit by a branch”.

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Although the resident didn’t see the accident itself, when they heard sirens they went outside and realised what had happened.

“I’ve lived here for years and, as soon as strong winds hit, I know to stay clear of those trees. There are branches coming down in the wind all the time,” they said.

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Red and white striped tape was wrapped around trees beside a path at Madills Farm at midday on Wednesday, but families were still using the path.

They were “amazed” that the trees were still standing on Wednesday.

While there were orange cones and red tape around a section of trees lining a public footpath on Madills Farm at midday on Wednesday, children and their parents were still walking along the path.

There was no sign advising passers-by to avoid the path or warning them of what had happened on Tuesday.

Another local, who lives near Madills Farm, said they heard an “almighty crash followed by lots of shouting” just after 3.30pm on Tuesday.

The resident said emergency services arrived “super fast” and stayed on the scene for at least an hour.

A local resident had contacted the council about trees leaning in the wind, but no one from the council came until after the child was injured by a falling branch, they said.

When the incident happened, the area was feeling the after-effects of Cyclone Gabrielle, which dumped even more water on ground still sodden from the record-breaking levels of rain seen over Auckland Anniversary weekend.

The resident had contacted Auckland Council to warn them about trees leaning in the strong winds, but no one from the council came until after Tuesday’s incident, they said.

In a statement, council manager David Stejskal said contractors visited the park on Wednesday afternoon to reinstate the cordon around the trees.

“This will remain in place until the debris has been cleared.”

He added that the tree involved in the accident showed no signs of disease.

“Unfortunately, during extreme weather events, such as those that we have experienced in recent weeks, even the healthiest of trees are susceptible to damage.”

The council had responded to over 1390 requests for tree servicing since Sunday, including 763 of which were critical.

It is expected the risk of trees falling over and losing branches would reduce given Cyclone Gabrielle had passed the region.

Stejkal urged people to be vigilant near trees in parks where the ground is waterlogged.

“If you have any concerns regarding trees on public land, please let us know via our online report a problem tool and we will investigate.”

On Tuesday night, Auckland Emergency Management Duty Controller Adam Maggs said he was aware of the incident.

”Our thoughts are with them and their family at this time. The police are investigating and will provide more details in due course.”

The injured person was in a critical but stable condition on Wednesday morning, Auckland Hospital confirmed.

A police spokesperson said they received a report at 3.40pm of a tree falling and injuring a person at a reserve on Allum St.

Madills Farm Recreation Reserve is a large open space with a playground and picnic tables, and hosts the Eastern Suburbs Association Football Club.