Woman killed by falling tree in Garfield Park

A woman died tragically and suddenly when a tree fell on her in Garfield Park early Wednesday morning.

DC Fire Emergency Medial Services (DC FEMS) was called to Garfield Park at the corner of Third Street and South Carolina Avenue SE at approximately 7:25 a.m. on July 10 for a report of a woman trapped under a tree.

The tree fell north of the tennis courts in Garfield Park. DC FEMS spokesman Vito Maggiolo said firefighters had to cut branches to get to the woman and reached her within minutes. However, she was pronounced dead immediately upon arrival.

The woman has not yet been identified. DC FEMS estimates her age to be approximately 35 years old.

It looks like the root of the tree split and fell towards the tennis courts.

The woman was somewhere between the tree and the tennis courts, possibly on the sidewalk.

Garfield Park is scheduled to undergo renovations this summer, with some improvements to landscaping. It’s not clear if the tree that fell today and killed a woman was included in the plans.

We reached out to the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) as well as the Urban Forestry Division of the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) for more information. There was no immediate response.

The story is being updated.