An 85-year-old woman escaped with a broken wrist, a lucky dog and a scary story after she fled a falling tree branch in Virginia Square last weekend.
According to her son Malcolm Beith, Marianne Beith “narrowly escaped serious injury” when walking through Hayes Park with her dog Xoco on Saturday.
“I heard crackling and I turned around, looked up, and saw it coming down, so I ran,” Marianne Beith said. “Then I fell. I can’t run any more at my age. I made it maybe four meters.”
Malcolm Beith said his mother suffered a broken wrist from the incident and is now wearing a cast. She expressed relief that the tree “didn’t get Xoco.”
The elder Beith is recovering from the incident and said she hopes Arlington County will check on the trees after the incident.
“If the trees aren’t checked, this can happen any time,” she said. “I know how kids like to play out there.”
Jerusalem Solomon, communications and engagement manager for the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation, said county arborists inspected the remaining trees at Hayes Park after the incident.
“We are grateful that Ms. Beith and Xoco are safe,” Solomon said. “Thanks to Ms. Beith’s quick report, our arborists were able to act quickly and address the situation. Community members are encouraged to notify the County about tree issues through Report-a-Problem tool as soon as they’re recognized.”
Solomon added that various environmental factors can cause breaks even when a tree is in good health.
“In this case, the tree appeared healthy, but even healthy trees can fail depending on environmental conditions or other factors,” Solomon said. “We have a team of arborists that respond to tree care needs daily, and we appreciate the community’s help in our collective effort towards safe natural spaces.”
