Toddler Fatally Crushed By Falling Tree in Family Home Backyard: Coroner

A 2-year-old boy has been crushed to death by a part of a falling tree in the backyard of his Pennsylvania home, according to a county coroner.

The child, whose name has not been released, was in the backyard of a home in Lower Southampton, just north of Philadelphia, when strong winds blew through the area on April 22.

This caused a tree to split and a section about 25 to 30 feet in length and 8 to 10 inches in diameter struck the boy, while his mother and sibling were unharmed, according to The Morning Call.

According to the outlet, the child was pronounced dead following an evaluation by Lower Southampton Police and Media 114.

The child was later taken to the Bucks County Forensic Center by the Buck's County Coroner's Office.

Meredith Buck, Bucks County Coroner, ruled the child's cause of death as a head injury and that the manner of death was accidental.

Buck said: "This horrible tragedy was an unforeseen act of nature.

"High winds came in ahead of the thunderstorms and split a tree on the property. It fell without warning, striking the child's head. My heart goes out to the family as they grieve this unimaginable loss."

According to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of death for 1 to 4 years is accidents.

It added that 1,299 children aged between 1 and 4 died as a result of an accident between 2018 and 2021.

Advice from legal firm High Swartz Attorneys At Law says that while people might want to remove a tree themselves that they suspect could be dangerous in the future, there are a series of steps you must consider.

It added: "It's essential to remember that local government controls trees in the public right of way and is responsible if they fail to remove a hazard tree after notice.

"The property owner should notify the municipality of the hazard tree and ask that it be removed. Keep a copy of that notice for future records."

Newsweek has contacted the Bucks County Coroner for comment via email.

There have been other tragic instances across the U.S. where children have been crushed to death by a falling tree.

Last year, a 7-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on her family's tent while she was camping with her family at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

The Gatlinburg Fire Department and Gatlinburg Police Department were sent to the scene at Elkmont Campground. The father and two other children were unharmed, according to officials.