[Cincinatus' Wife]

Are trees more dangerous than SUVs?

Falling tree kills man as he sleeps***.....But Ed Timmons died — on the morning of his 36th birthday. It took tree cutters seven hours, using a crane to remove large segments of the massive poplar, its trunk 40 inches across, before his body could be retrieved.

The tree had fallen across the back yard — over a swing set and bright yellow slide — before smashing across the roof and into the front yard. Other trees in the back yard had also fallen, but in different directions.....***

[spinestein]

[The oak at the water's edge was splitting. Booth's children scampered out of the way, but one of the huge falling limbs pinned their mother to bench where she sat.]



Then the Lorax popped out of the trunk and simply said, "It's Bush's fault."

[fivekid]

Maybe.... I had one oak smash my truck another smash our

dock, one smashed our deck, and still one more smashed our

roof in. All separate incidences... Din't see a SUV in

sight. Those oaks whooped our stuff but good..

[DB]

What a lousy way to go.

Kiss your family every day.

You never know when the last day might be.

[spinestein]

Here's a similar one:

Nanette Meech, 76, of Sante Fe, was canoeing down the Brule River in Winsconsin with her daughter Laurie on 15 July, when a 40ft poplar tree, about 18in diameter, that had been gnawed by a beaver, crashed down on her head with fatal consequences. Denver Post - 17 July 1993


I used to work for this woman who went by the nickname "Nucy" (short for nuisance). Ironically, I worked for her by cutting down nuisance trees on her property.

[spinestein]

Haven't enough people died?!

It's time the government did something to protect us from these dangerous trees!

We need to ban them and cut them all down BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!!

[ken5050]

Ban acorns

[backhoe]

Somehow, it's Boosh's fault.

Seriously, my wife's long association with churches & the synagogue in town gave her access to their records, and it's amazing how many people get killed "by misadventure"-- falls, trees, drowning in 3 inches of water-- just about any way you can imagine to get killed has happened, repeatedly.

[Minnesoootan]

Zephyrhills police Chief Russell Barnes said the great oak appeared to be in "good shape."

The tree was alive and mostly green except for a dead part in the center, but that was surrounded by good bark, he said.

I'm a Police Chief,Jim,not an arborist!

[the invisib1e hand]

just another nice Sunday in Zephyrhills...

[John O]

When it's your time to go, you're going to go. God makes the plans. We just ride along

[Bellflower]

Several months ago a young man was traveling down Monona Dr. a city street near a park where many of the trees had been cut down in Monona which is essentially a part of Madison, WI. A tree fell on his car and killed him. I use to pray for my love ones and myself asking God to protect us from accidents including hitting trees with our cars. I have now added "LORD" please protect us from trees hitting us.

[RichInOC]

George, George
George of the Jungle
Strong as he can be
Watch out for that tree!

George, George
George of the Jungle
Lives a life that's free
Watch out for that tree!

When he gets in a scrape
He makes his escape
With the help of his friend
An ape named Ape
Then away he'll schlep
On his elephant Shep
While Fella and Ursula
Stay in step...with

George, George
George of the Jungle
Friend to you and me
Watch out for that tree,
Watch out for that...tree!
...George, George
George of the Jungle
Friend to you and me!!!

[Rastus]

A calm day, a crack of fate - great oak suddenly splits

That's almost a haiku. Let's see:

On a most calm day
A great oak suddenly splits
What a crack of fate

[Dr._Joseph_Warren]

This story reminds me a book by Thornton Wilder..The Bridge of San Luis Rey.

This was a real event, where a bridge collapsed in eighteenth-century Peru killing five people. The bridge had been there for 100's of years so many felt that its collapse was an act of God. Wilder wrote about the people who died and tried to answer the question of why God would chose them.