Two Boys Hospitalized After Tree Collapse at Park

Two young boys in Chelsea, Mass., were hospitalized Monday night after a tree collapsed onto the playground where they had been playing.

The incident happened shortly after 7 p.m. at Washington Park. Other park visitors reported hearing a cracking noise and then scrambled to get out of the way of the falling chestnut tree. The boys, ages 2 and 8, were unable to get out of the way quickly enough.

“Everybody was panicking," one witness told WHDH.com. "Everybody called the ambulance, the cops. Nobody knew what to do." The younger boy suffered a fractured skull, while the older boy required stitches.

Surveillance cameras captured video of what one city official is calling a “weird accident.”

7News Boston WHDH-TV

“What I'm looking at doesn't look like it uprooted because the root system is still there,” Director of Public Works Joe Foti said.

The park remains closed while crews inspect trees in the park to determine if any others pose a danger to visitors. While the park is scheduled to undergo a renovation in the next few years, the trees have not been a concern, city officials say.

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