Paralyzed woman sues over falling tree branch

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco woman who was paralyzed by a falling tree branch at a local park has filed a lawsuit against the city for negligence.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Emma Zhou, 36, was with her daughters in Washington Square Park in August when she was hit by a 100-pound branch that fell from a Canary Island pine tree.

The accident caused a brain injury and a severed spinal cord, leaving Zhou paralyzed below the waist.

The lawsuit filed Monday in San Francisco Superior Court says the tree was “negligently pruned” in a way that causes rapid growth of heavy, weakly attacked branches.

City attorney spokesman John Cote says officials haven’t been served with the lawsuit so can’t comment on the specifics of the case. He called what happened to Zhou “heartbreaking.”