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Aug 18, 2008 6:45 pm US/Eastern
Family Of Officer Hit By Tree In Search Of Answers
37-Year-Old Donna Rypkema In Grave Condition From Severe Head Trauma
President Of New York & Atlantic Railway Searching For Answers
By CAROLYN COSTELLO, CBS 2 HD News
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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A tree fell on a woman in Queens, critically injuring her.
CBS
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37-year-old Donna Rypkema remains in critical condition after being struck by a tree near a street fair in Queens on Sunday.
CBS
Family and friends of a corrections officer critically injured by a falling tree in Queens is trying to make sense of the freak accident.
Now, the railroad company in charge of the land where it happened is trying to explain what happened.
The president of New York and Atlantic Railway, Victor Paul, says he can't explain how or why a 20-foot section of a dead tree fell from a Queens overpass. The tree hit 37-year-old corrections officer Donna Rypkema in the head as she strolled through a street fair.
On Monday, she is in grave condition at Wycoff Heights Center in Bushwich.
"I've been in this business my whole life," Paul said. "Never have I seen anything like this worldwide."
Witnesses said it happened without warning. As Rypkema was walking with her sister, the tree fell from above, knocking Rypkema out.
Some witnesses said a freight train was passing through at the time.
Paul says that's not possible. He claims the company's GPS system shows it had been two and a half hours since the last train moved through the area where the accident happened.
He believes the tree fell because of recent rains and storms in the area.
His company is responsible for maintaining the land around the tracks, but it's still unclear who bears responsibility for this specific tree.
"It's a forest, it's got trees," Paul said. "I'll be the first to say it's on the fringe of what we do."
Victor is waiting for the MTA Police and NYPD to investigate. His company will also bring in its own expert.
"If we are responsible, I'm sure we will live up to our responsibilities,"
Paul said.
Victor says he is always in compliance with government regulations, and in more than 40 years in the business, he has never been fined.
The company also says government regulations prevent it from touching certain trees because of a beetle infestation.
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