A 29-year-old Google software engineer has died after being struck by a falling branch from a giant sequoia tree while hiking in Yosemite National Park.
Angela Lin was walking through the park’s Tuolumne Grove, a popular paved trail lined with massive sequoias, with her boyfriend and two friends on 19 July when a loud cracking sound was heard overhead. Her boyfriend, David Hua, said that two to three seconds later, branches fell from the sky, with one large branch striking Lin on the head. “One big branch struck Angela, and then there were a bunch of smaller ones directly behind me,” he told SFGate.
The group immediately called 911 and performed CPR until a park ranger arrived. An ambulance later arrived, but Lin was never placed inside, with emergency responders saying the branch had likely killed her instantly. The Tuolumne Grove was closed to visitors for about a week following the incident, which remains under investigation.
Hua said Lin’s family had not received much information from the park service, prompting them to seek further details about trail safety, maintenance and awareness of problematic trees on popular routes. In the aftermath of the tragedy, a traumatised bystander who had tried to provide aid also posted on Reddit, saying the incident had been haunting them. “They were doing nothing wrong or careless… Life can be so cruel,” the person wrote.
Although fatal incidents involving falling trees are rare, they have occurred in the park before. Last year, Australian hiker Harry Partington was crushed by a falling tree on the Four Mile Trail, while in 2015 two high school students were killed by an oak limb that fell on their tent. A concessions worker died in 2012 when a tree fell on his cabin during a windstorm. Hua noted that Lin’s death occurred on a day with no wind and that she was an exceptionally cautious hiker who always stayed on trails.
Lin had completed her master’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin before working in the Bay Area. A Google spokesperson said: “We lost a loved and respected member of our time. We’re very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones.”
