‘SHOCKING’

Boy Scout’s Mom Killed by Falling Tree on Troop Hike

As the tree fell, the woman paused to make sure her 17-year-old son was safe, witnesses said.

An unidentified woman on a hike with her son’s Boy Scout troop was killed by a falling tree in California on Sunday morning, officials confirmed. The victim was pronounced dead on the trail in Rancho San Antonio Park after the tree toppled over without warning. She hesitated before being struck by the trunk, apparently to make sure her 17-year-old son was safe, witnesses told KTVU. The teenager refused to leave his mother’s side as rescuers arrived on the scene, the outlet reported. Her death was later confirmed in an emailed statement from a local Boy Scouts of America council, which noted the organization would cooperate as park rangers investigate what caused the tree’s fall. “This is a very popular trail here, so at least a few hundred people going that way,” a hiker told KTVU. “And something like this shouldn’t happen. So, very shocking.”