Family Sues Contractor in Falling Tree Injury

Back in March 2005, we wrote about news reported in the Honolulu Star Bulletin of a 12 year-old girl stuck in the head during sleep when a Norfolk Island pine tree crashed through the window of her Manoa, Oahu home on Beckwith Street.

Immediately after the accident, the paper reported a ?EUR??,,????'??tree expert?EUR??,,????'?? had told a lawyer there ?EUR??,,????'??were signs of termite damage?EUR??,,????'?? to the 70 foot tree., and long-time residents recalled two other incidents of Norfolks toppling. The tree is on city property and Manoa Parks.

The injured girl, Julia Engle, has spent nearly two months recovering in the hospital. Her family has now filed suit against the independent contractor the city had hired to inspect the pines. After the accident, the city removed seven Beckwith Street trees decayed by termites.