A woman died after a huge tree limb crashed onto her in a park in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Southeast D.C. early Wednesday, authorities say. People in the area rushed to try to save her but could not, a witness told News4.
Sarah Noah, of Southeast D.C., was the victim, police said in an update Thursday. She was 35.
The tree limb fell in Garfield Park, near South Carolina and 3rd Street SE, as people walked their dogs and played tennis. DC Fire and EMS responded just before 7:30 a.m., and Noah was pronounced dead on the scene.
News4 video shows a large portion of a tree on the ground and police tape blocking off the area.
329 medal events. 32 sports. Endless drama. Catch all the action at the Paris Olympics. Sign up for our free Olympics Headlines newsletter.
The woman was walking her dog with her husband when the sound of cracking wood was suddenly heard in the park, Nodar Shovnadze said. She ran but the tree limb crashed onto her, he said.
“It happened maybe in two, three seconds – less, even. It was very fast,” Shovnadze said.
Several people in the park ran to try to save the woman, but the branch was too heavy.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
“We tried to help her but unfortunately we couldn’t,” Shovnadze said. “We couldn’t lift that. It’s so heavy. Maybe if we were, like, six people, all men. But we couldn’t lift that.”
Resident Riley Palgren said she often walks near the tree on her way to work. She came upon the scene not long after the branch fell.
“It’s crazy to think that someone could just, all of a sudden, walking their dog, having a good day, and then – a tree. There’s no warning for that,” she said.
Garfield Park is just north of I-695 and a short walk from Eastern Market, Nationals Park and the U.S. Capitol.
‘100 percent preventable’
One resident said she had warned D.C. officials for years that she feared the tree was a danger. She shared emails with reporters documenting complaints to D.C. officials in which she warned about the tree. She didn’t want to share her name or appear on camera.
“This is 100 percent preventable. I’ve put in at least four 311 requests for this specific tree,” she said.
What a city arborist said about the tree
The District’s lead arborist told reporters his office had responded to concerns about the tree and that it was healthy.
The tree was most recently pruned in July 2022, Earl Eutsler of the Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division said.
“Prior to this event, [it] gave no outward indication or visible indication that a failure of this nature was possible, much less likely,” he said.
“It was a healthy limb attached to a healthy tree, fully leafed out. The tree, by all outward indications, was in good condition and that branch was well attached,” Eutsler continued.
The tree will be removed and others in the park will be inspected.
D.C. police are leading the death investigation.
News4 sends breaking news stories by email. Go here to sign up to get breaking news alerts in your inbox.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
