A family in Brooklyn narrowly escaped a potentially fatal incident when a large tree almost fell on them as they walked along a sidewalk. The incident took place on March 1 on 59th Street in the Bensonhurst neighborhood, where three family members had a brush with danger. Surveillance footage captured the dramatic moment, highlighting just how close they came to disaster.
Ben and Shelly Kerstein, two of the family members involved, described the event as nothing short of miraculous. As the tree collapsed, it splintered into dust, narrowly missing them. Shelly Kerstein recounted the harrowing experience, saying:
"We ran and the whole thing splintered to pieces and because it was so old, it splintered to dust."
The incident has drawn attention to the general safety concerning falling trees, particularly in urban settings. In the UK, statistics suggest that only six people a year are killed by falling trees or branches. Furthermore, Forest Research indicates that there is merely a one in 10 million chance of dying from a falling tree in the UK, and even less so in public open spaces, with a one in 20 million chance.
These figures underscore the improbability of such accidents, a sentiment echoed by researchers who assert:
"The likelihood of being injured by falling trees is very low."
A retrospective review examining 13,844 trauma admissions related to accidental tree failures from January 2013 to June 2021 supports this conclusion. However, for the Kerstein family in Brooklyn, this statistical improbability became a very real threat. The TV station in New York City that captured the footage provided visual evidence of the near miss.
The tree that almost caused this tragedy was notably old and weakened, which contributed to its splintering upon impact. This reinforces the need for regular maintenance and assessment of urban trees to prevent similar incidents.
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