Hiker killed by falling tree at Rancho San Antonio in hills above Cupertino
A female hiker was killed Sunday morning while walking on a trail in Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve.
In a limited statement first shared by news partner ABC7 News, a local scouting executive identified her as a parent who was part of a planned Boy Scouts hike, and said that there were no other injuries.
“We are saddened to confirm one adult accidental fatality involving a tree. The deceased is the parent of a Scout and they were participating in a planned hike at the Rancho San Antonio Park,” said Eric Tarbox, Scout Executive/CEO, Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council, Boy Scouts of America, in a statement later e-mailed to this news organization.
“Rangers and EMS were summoned to the scene. We will continue to cooperate with investigating authorities. All Scouts are safe and there were no additional injuries. Our emergency response protocols and notifications are currently being followed and we appreciate privacy for the family and Scout unit as they are still being moved from the area and rejoined with their families,” Tarbox said.
The Santa Clara County Fire Department said they were called to the scene at approximately 10 a.m. Efforts by other park visitors to remove the hiker from underneath the tree had been unsuccessful, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities say the hiker was on the Stephen E. Abbors Trail, which runs along the south edge of the park, in the hills above Cupertino.
Matt Anderson, spokesman for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, said it wasn’t immediately clear whether it was an entire tree that fell or just a limb. It also wasn’t clear whether the recent storms were a factor in the accident, said Anderson, but the highly saturated soil may have been the cause.
National Weather Service meteorologist Sean Miller said that the storms that popped up Sunday morning had generally produced gusts of only 20 to 25 mph. That’s far less powerful than many of the other thunderstorms that have hit the region in recent weeks.
Miller said trees in the Bay Area have generally been more prone to falling ever since a parade of atmospheric river storms pummeled the Bay Area in late December through mid-January. Those storms, combined with continued precipitation and gusty conditions in recent weeks, have caused soils to be saturated and trees to become increasingly stressed.
“With the saturated soil — again we don’t know what happened in this case — that can make them more prone to topple if they are already damaged,” Miller said. “I would just advise people to be cautious, especially if they are out in forested areas.”
At 10:01am #SCCFD responded to Rancho San Antonio in #Cupertino on reports a tree had fallen on an adult female while hiking. After being extricated, medical aid was rendered but sadly the patient was declared deceased. @SCCoSheriff & @MidpenOpenSpace also on scene pic.twitter.com/FCcTnLhDw9
— Santa Clara Co Fire (@sccfiredept) March 5, 2023