Giant pine cone caused severe head injury, suit says; park officials post warning signs
Bunya pine tree. Image from Shutterstock.
A tourist taking a nap under bunya pines in a federal waterfront park in San Francisco suffered serious head injuries last year when he was struck by a falling 16-pound pine cone, a lawsuit says.
Filed last month in federal court in San Francisco, it seeks $5 million in damages for Sean Mace, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
“This guy has an irreversible brain injury and he’s only in his mid-50s,” said attorney Scott Johnson, who represents Mace. “He’s had two surgeries already and he is going to need a third.”
The suit alleges that the bunya pines are not native to the area and were planted by staff at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. It contends that defendants including the U.S. government and the National Park Service violated federal policies by failing to remove the hazard-creating exotic tree species and failing to erect a fence around the bunya pine grove and post warning signs.
After the incident involving Mace last year, park officials installed orange plastic fencing and posted signs that say “Danger: Giant seed pod falling from tree,” the newspaper reports.
Representatives of the U.S. attorney’s office and the park did not respond to Chronicle messages seeking comment.
