Schoolgirls’ lucky escape from Parkdale tree fall
The shaken mother of a schoolgirl injured by a falling tree branch has revealed just how close the three students came to catastrophe while leaving their school’s church mass.
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A Carrum Downs mum got the “shock of her life” when she was told her daughter had been struck by a fallen tree branch while at school.
Mum-of-three Tanya Rosenquist got the “phone call no parent wants to get” on Tuesday when her daughter Maddie Farrugia, 7, became injured at school.
“It was a lucky escape, it was a freak accident,” Ms Rosenquist said.
“I am so shaken up, it could have been so much worse.
“We are extremely lucky, it is one of those things, a little to the left and it could have been a different story.”
Three girls from St John Vianney’s Primary in Parkdale were hit by the fallen tree limb as they made their way out of the nearby parish church about 12.50pm.
“I left work immediately, rushed to the school and then travelled with Maddie in the ambulance to hospital, which was incredibly distressing,” said Ms Rosenquist.
“She sustained a head injury, a bump to the head, scratches on the forehead, bruising on her shoulder, back and legs.
”She had a neck brace and all that sort of stuff, she was dazed and confused.
“I am still getting over the shock and stress of it all. Thankfully she is now doing OK.
“We are extremely lucky, it was a lucky escape.”
The family were discharged later that day and Maddie will stay home from school this week to recover.
Maddie’s two friends were also sent to the Royal Children’s hospital for their head injuries.
One has since been discharged but another remains in a serious condition.
Ms Rosenquist said the school community had been “amazingly supportive” and her “thoughts and prayers” were with the family of the other child still in hospital.
“Hopefully she makes a speedy recovery,” she said.
School principal Shane Regan said a stronger gust of wind brought down the branch on the huge gum tree.
He said there had previously been no concerns about the tree, and understood it had been checked by an arborist within the past two years.
Worksafe and an arborist have since inspected the tree.
RECENT TREE FALLS
The incident follows several tragic deaths and near-misses due to falling trees this year.
In August, a nine-year-old girl came within inches of death when a tree fell on her mother’s car in the Dandenongs, near the Belgrave Puffing Billy railway bridge.
It was not far from where a father and son were tragically killed after a gum tree struck their car during strong winds at Sherbrooke, on July 14.
Angie Suryadi was killed after a tree fell on her car on the Black Spur highway in Fernshaw as her family embarked on a snow trip on August 9.
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Her son, 4, was left fighting for life while her other son, 5, and husband were lucky to escape serious injury.
Respected academic and mother of two Allison Milner, 36, was also killed in a freak accident as she walked past Princes Park to work earlier this year.
An elm tree that was more than 100 years old crashed down on her as she walked on a footpath on her way to the University of Melbourne.