Hiker, 28, is killed when 200-foot redwood falls on top of him on national park dirt trail

Daily Mail ^ | 26 December 2019 | Ralph R. Ortega

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Hiker, 28, is killed when 200-foot redwood falls on top of him on national park dirt trail

Subhradeep Dutta, 28, of Edina, Minnesota, was hiking at Muir National Woods Monument north of San Francisco with two other people Tuesday.

Five giant redwood trees suddenly fell while the trio were on a marked dirt trail about 4.30pm, including a 200-foot tree that struck Dutta. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A female hiker also was injured by falling debris and treated at a nearby hospital. A second man was not hurt The trees may have fallen due to wet ground that became soaked after a series of winter storms hit the area in recent weeks, say authorities

Subhradeep Dutta, who is from Edina, Minnesota, was pronounced dead at the scene after he was struck by the tree about 4.30 p.m. on Tuesday, confirmed the Marin County coroner's office and a park spokesman.

The trunk of the tree measured 4-feet in diameter.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

When your number's up …

[MrEdd]

If a tree falls in the woods and SPLAT!

[cloudmountain]

What are the chances....?
Our good Lord wanted him home NOW.

[Lockbar]

Sounds like the movie “Final Destination”.

[Spirochete]

Five giant redwood trees suddenly fell

One falling tree would be like being struck by lightning. Five? I'm calling B.S.

[Berosus]

Should we say that five redwood trees committed suicide to get that hiker?

[P.O.E.]

Unfortunate, to say the least.

[budj]

[Kipp]

I hope he didn’t suffer. At least in his last moments he was likely appreciating the magnificence of that forest. I used to hike there with my kids and drove on many field trips to Muir Woods.

[dfwgator]

He needed to be trained in Tree Catching.

[GulfMan]

I’m surprised some guys death is a place for everyone to drop their one-liners, this thread doesn’t reflect well on Conservatives at all

[samtheman]

Global Warming Trumps Fault Republican Intransigence Russia Russia Russia The Phone Call Impeach Now!

[deport]

[IrishBrigade]

‘Our good Lord wanted him home NOW.’

for what possible reason would a good deity create a person, giving him 28 years to form the basis of his entire future, then snuff the guy in a freakish occurrence that might happen once every century, thus rendering the life he did allow him to be devoid of any substantial meaning...?

what possible benefit was derived from this man’s death...?

[SIDENET]

Subhradeep Dutta, who is from Edina, Minnesota, was pronounced dead flat at the scene

[captain_dave]

Super funny! Is that from a movie?

[Mrs. Don-o]

This can and does indeed happen. Redwoods have extensive but surprisingly shallow root systems: think of a thumbtack sitting on its barely dirt-covered base. If the ground is saturated and soft, and a big wind comes up, it will tip the trees. If one tips far enough to fall, its upended roots will dislodge pother trees' overlapping and likewise shallow roots, and a whole row can go down.

Not an everyday occurrence, but common enough.

[SIDENET]

Dang, there’s even one sneaking up behind him in that picture!

[cloudmountain]

I hope he didn’t suffer. At least in his last moments he was likely appreciating the magnificence of that forest. I used to hike there with my kids and drove on many field trips to Muir Woods.

I doubt if he did.

I used to be afraid of heights. So when I was 29 years old I decided to take a skydiving class to rid myself of that phobia.

I took the class and did the jump. I was on a static line which meant that even if I had died in those six seconds of free fall the chute WOULD have opened.

I remember that during those SIX SECONDS of free fall my mind had gone absolutely blank. That meant that I would have SPLAT and never known what happened.
THIS guy had a huge SPLAT and was dead before he hit the ground...a blessing.

And yes, the jump DID cure my fear of heights. Hair of the dog.

[cloudmountain]

for what possible reason would a good deity create a person, giving him 28 years to form the basis of his entire future, then snuff the guy in a freakish occurrence that might happen once every century, thus rendering the life he did allow him to be devoid of any substantial meaning...? what possible benefit was derived from this man’s death...?

You are questioning God's motives? Lol. Good luck with that.