A woman, believed to be in her 30s, has died after being struck by a falling tree in Melbourne’s Princes Park this morning.
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The tree reportedly came down at approximately 8:30am this morning across the footpath on the western side of the sprawling park, adjacent to Royal Parade between Leonard Street and the Ikon Park headquarters of the Carlton Football Club. The path is a favourite of joggers, walkers, and cyclists.
The unidentified woman was transported to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition, but sadly passed away a short time later.
The tree, a 106-year-old elm, remains down across the path at the time of writing. Royal Parade has been closed southbound near Walker Street, with Victoria Police urging cars and cyclists to avoid the area.
#BREAKING: Paramedics have just confirmed a woman in her 30’s was struck by a huge tree along the Princes Park running track in Parkville. She’s in a critical condition. More to come… @10NewsFirstMelb pic.twitter.com/KkZ3UVtQ1c
— Kristina Costalos (@kcostalos) August 12, 2019
This morning’s incident comes after a weekend of battering rain and wind which soaked Melbourne. A similar fatality occurred on Friday along the Black Spur Drive, where a 41-year-old mother died after the car she was travelling in was struck by a fallen tree. The woman’s four-year-old son was critically injured in the incident, but is in a stable condition in hospital.
No other people were injuring in this morning’s incident at Princes Park.
A police investigation remains on-going. City of Melbourne officials confirmed they will also conduct an investigation into the fatality.
