New Jersey golfer dies after tree falls on him as he attempts to retrieve errant ball

AP ^ | April 15, 2013

[ConservativeStatement]

Police say a New Jersey golfer is dead after a tree fell on him while he tried to retrieve an errant ball from the backyard of a home adjacent to an exclusive country club.

Alpine police identified the man as 60-year-old Sung Paik of Union City.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Freak accident. RIP.

[Paladin2]

How difficult is it to outrun a falling tree by going perpendicular to the fall direction?

[Secret Agent Man]

hell of a penalty stroke.

[SIDENET]

BAN TREES.

[Hardraade]

Someone send Zero a year subscription to that golf course.

[o-n-money]

Tiger was lucky to get a way with a 2 stroke penalty. This is one tough course.

[Hardraade]

You have to see it first. Probably had just seconds to react anyway.

[latina4dubya]

i am not a golfer, so—really? he had to leave the country club and go into someone’s backyard to retrieve his ball???????

[BigCinBigD]

He was trespassing and it was a guard tree?

[Paladin2]

I guess if you are not right next to the errant tree (as
I am when using a chain saw), identification and selection of a proper course of action is more difficult.

[FreedomGuru]

Dude buy some extra golf balls.
His family will probably sue the home owner with the tree.

[Uncle Chip]

I hate when that happens. That’ll teach you to take some lessons to cure that slice.

[ResponseAbility]

“I am no TREE I am an ENT.”

[Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America]

Must’ve really tee’d him off.

[ResponseAbility]

I think he might have reached for the wrong ball.

[cydcharisse]

Falling trees are so common I can’t believe this guy hadn’t calculated the direction the tree might fall before it actually did. He was obviously an idiot, not expecting a tree to fall on him.

Before I approach any tree I check the probable direction of fall. Having something like this take you by surprise is unforgivable stupidity.

[ResponseAbility]

;o)

[jessduntno]

Now THAT was a lateral hazard...

[C. Edmund Wright]

There probably is a law suit there. Setting aside the golf for a second, it’s pretty well known that a homeowner should remove any trees that are in danger of falling - on people, cars, the home, etc.