FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) - A woman was transported to the hospital after a tree fell and hit her Monday (Nov. 10) afternoon while she was on a trail at Lake Fayetteville.
“This incidence at Lake Fayetteville is just one of those freak things that happens due to the high winds,” said Connie Edmonston, an official with the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Department. “We certainly hate it. It is very unfortunate that something like this happened to someone.”
The woman was transported to the hospital with leg injuries and is in stable condition.
Edmonston said the trails are consistently checked and monitored for safety hazards.
“I feel like we have the background and the experience to adequately take care of these [trails],” Edmonston said. “[Workers] go out there and periodically look for hangers, or unsafe issues on our trails.”
People, who often use the Lake Fayetteville trails, said there are risks when being active outside.
“I hate to hear that [someone was injured], but I do not know if there is that much more the city could have done to prevent accidents like that,” said Clinton Bennett, an active trail user. “Unfortunately, I think that is just an inherited risk with being outdoors.”
City official agree.
“It is just a risk they take,” Edmonston said. “You never know when something like that is going to happen.”
Edmonston said trees can deteriorate over time, which can ben undetectable to city workers.
“Some things are diseased, and they can just break off at any high wind that comes,” Edmonston said. “And, we do not know they are diseased or decayed until they fall off.”
City officials said workers responded to the location of the accident following the emergency response.
“We had our crews right back out there picking up some limbs,” Edmonston said.
Some in the community, like Bennett, said they have never found a problem with the trails before.
“I have always been impressed at how well the trails are maintained,” Bennett said. “I think it is a really nice amenity for our community.”