The dangers gum trees pose to campers, picnickers and general members of the public has once again been brought into the spotlight following a series of near disasters.
The extreme weather conditions being experienced in many parts of the country has only exacerbated the risks posed by the notoriously unpredictable species. Giant branches and entire trees regularly fall down with absolutely no warning … making them a camper’s worst nightmare.
Despite the known threat, there are still many camping areas and even caravan parks where sites are situated directly beneath imposing gums.
But it is not just campers at risk. Just a couple of days ago, a woman narrowly avoided serious injury as a gum tree came crashing down in an Adelaide park. According to witnesses quoted in Adelaide Now, children had been playing by the tree just moments before they heard a sound “like firecrackers” and saw the woman, 67, run to avoid the falling branches.
Ambulance officers treated the woman for leg lacerations before she was taken to hospital. Simon Chappel, who witnessed the incident, said there were around 200 people in the park, including families.
“The woman was under it but it was a bit of a lucky break because there were so many people around, including a lot of children,” he told Adelaide Now.
State Emergency Service volunteers have been kept busy over the last few days with the sustained hot weather and stiffish winds bringing down dozens of trees.
Two girls, at Botanic Park, were also lucky to escape when a gum tree dropped a large limb metres from their picnic rug.
In South Australia alone, there have been some very serious accidents due to falling gum limbs. Back in 2009, Jim Duthie was left a paraplegic after a tree branch fell on him during a school sports day. And, according to Adelaide Now, the Coroners Court has yet to deliver its findings into the January 2009 death of 20-year-old Rebecca Jolly, who was killed when a gum tree dropped a seven-metre limb on her car.
