- Weather suspected cause of broken limb - injured in hospital
The breaking off of a mighty branch in Munich's English Garden, in which a woman was severely injured, could be attributed to the weather. While the cause is not yet definitively established, and the results of external experts are still pending, the Bavarian Palace Administration responsible for the tree stated that their in-house experts suspected it to be a so-called green break, "which may have been caused by weather-related changes in wood strength".
On Sunday afternoon, a mighty branch suddenly broke off from an old poplar in the popular park. A police spokesman emphasized the magnitude of the incident: "The branch is over 18 meters long and has a diameter of 85 centimeters at its widest point. You can almost say that it's a tree that fell down." The victim, a 27-year-old woman, remains in the hospital with a skull fracture.
The tree was last inspected in January
Every individual tree or group of trees in the English Garden is inspected once a year, the Palace Administration explained. "Trees along traffic routes are always checked individually and with particular care." The poplar in question was last inspected on January 11. "No safety-related abnormalities were found at that time. There are also no visible signs of damage on the broken branch now: the wood body was intact and the branch was leafy," it was reported. Therefore, the "Competence Center for Tree Management" currently suspects a green break.
Under this term, experts understand the breaking off of individual healthy and fully leafed branches in calm wind after periods of prolonged drought and/or strong heat. This phenomenon is particularly known from poplars. The Palace Administration emphasized that the affected tree will be monitored more closely in the future.
Crashed down without warning
The giant branch suddenly crashed onto two visitors to the park. "One person was able to free themselves, while passers-by helped the other by lifting the branch," a spokesperson for the Fire Department described the scene immediately after the incident on Sunday afternoon.
According to police findings, the severely injured Munich woman was just swimming in the Schwabinger Bach, which flows through the English Garden. "She was trapped in the bank area under the branch," the spokesperson described. Passers-by immediately rushed to the scene and provided first aid. A coincidentally present doctor stabilized the woman and cared for her until the arrival of the rescue services.
Crisis intervention teams care for witnesses
Because witnesses and first responders were traumatized, several crisis intervention teams were also on the scene. Due to the many people in the park, a large contingent of police, rescue services, and firefighters initially arrived. A rescue helicopter was also available but not needed.
Not the first case
Similar cases have made headlines in the past. In July 2021, for example, a 23-meter-high maple tree on an Augsburger playground toppled over and hit a seesaw where a mother was playing with her 20-month-old daughter. Both were severely injured, and the girl later died in the Augsburger University Hospital. The controller responsible for the tree was later acquitted of the charge of negligent homicide in court.
The incident in Munich's English Garden has brought attention to the responsibilities of the European Union in ensuring the safety of public parks. As a matter of fact, some EU regulations require regular inspections and maintenance of trees in such locations to prevent accidents.
Given that the affected tree in Munich was last inspected by the Bavarian Palace Administration, the European Union may review its policies regarding the supervision of tree maintenance in public parks across its member states.
