Amusement Park Accident Probe Focuses On Oak Tree

BRISTOL (AP) — A state arborist said a dead oak tree should have been removed from Lake Compounce amusement park before a 5-year-old boy was killed by a falling limb.

Christina Berger, an analyst with the state Department of Environmental Protection, told The Bristol Press on Tuesday that she examined the tree and determined that it should have been a high priority to take it down.

Ms Berger also said the threat posed by the tree should have been clear when a landscaping firm inspected the amusement park’s trees last month.

“Even last year the tree had significant problems,” Berger said. “The tree has had significant issues for a period of time.”

Sean Rice of Shelton suffered head trauma and died Sunday evening after a six-inch-thick branch from the tree fell nearly 40 feet on top of him and his mother as they walked through the park. His mother, Gwen Rice, escaped with only minor injuries.

After the accident, park officials said the tree was alive last fall but had not produced leaves this spring.

Tom Wages, general manager at Lake Compounce, said earlier this week that safety was the park’s main concern and “we can’t control all acts of God.”

Also Tuesday, Sean’s father, George Rice, Jr, went to the spot where the accident happened. Mr Rice, who is divorced from Gwen Rice, told WTIC-TV that he believes the park should have removed the tree. He then said he was told not to talk about Lake Compounce.

Ms Berger, however, said “Some of the branches did still have buds on them, indicating that the tree probably died fairly recently.”

Mr Wages said Total Landscape and Tree Service of Newtown has done tree maintenance for the park since 2000. He said the park and the company “thoroughly go through the trees” each spring, with the most recent review performed last month.

Calls to the Newtown company and its arborist, Percy Ferris, were not returned Monday or Tuesday.

Ms Berger said she needs to meet with the landscaping company soon to determine if it had any responsibility for caring for the tree, which was removed. She also said she found other trees at the park that need “monitoring and some attention.”

Ms Berger said she did not know if wrongdoing was committed. She is still investigating.