ANN/THE STAR – A mother and her five-year-old son were injured when a tree fell on their car along Tuaran Road in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah yesterday.
The 44-year-old woman sustained a knee injury, while her son suffered a forehead injury, the Civil Defence Force said in a statement.
Emergency responders arrived at the scene shortly after receiving a distress call at 7.06am and found that the tree had struck two vehicles amid heavy school traffic.
The injured mother and son received initial treatment from Civil Defence personnel before being transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital I. Authorities swiftly cleared the fallen tree, with operations concluding by 7.50am.
Kota Kinabalu Warisan division information Chief Samuel Wong urged Kota Kinabalu City Hall to step up efforts to improve the health of trees within the city as the latest incident occurred during good weather.
“The latest incident is alarming and City Hall must intensify its tree management efforts along Jalan Tuaran as many of the full-grown trees are notably large and aged,” he said.
Pointing to a previous incident where a tree fell during heavy rain near a school along the same road, Wong said these events highlighted the potential dangers posed by neglected urban trees,
“Ensuring the safety of road users must be a priority. We urge City Hall to enhance its efforts to manage and maintain all large trees throughout the city adequately,” Wong said.
