Mother killed by falling tree while hiking with son’s Boy Scout troop in Bay Area

The mother of a Boy Scout who was walking with a troop in Santa Clara was killed on Sunday when a tree fell on top of her, authorities said.

The woman, whose identity has not been released, was on a planned hike in the Rancho San Antonio park when she was struck by the tree, according to Eric Tarbox, Scout executive for the Boy Scouts’ Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council.

“Rangers and EMS were called to the scene. We will continue to cooperate with the investigative authorities. All Scouts are safe and there were no additional injuries. Our emergency protocols and reports are currently being followed, and we value privacy for the family and the Scout unit as they continue to be moved from the area and reunited with their families,” Tarbox said in a statement.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m., with firefighters struggling to quickly access the remote area on the trail, according to Matt Mokhtarian, a fire chief with the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

“They were escorted up the trail by the Midpeninsula Open Space Rangers for several miles,” Mokhtarian said.

While bystanders with the Boy Scouts had tried to get the woman out from under the tree before firefighters arrived, they were unsuccessful.

Firefighters got the woman out from under the tree and attempted life-saving measures, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Mokhtarian.

It was not immediately clear whether it was an entire tree, a branch or part of the tree that fell and hit the woman.

None of the children in the Boy Scout group were injured, nor were any other adults, Tarbox said.