Poor roots, water weight may have toppled tree on children

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) - An arborist says a tree that fell in a Pasadena park last month, injuring eight children, may have toppled because it was leaning, had root problems and had absorbed a heavy load of water from a recent storm.

The report released Thursday suggests factors contributing to the collapse of the 85-foot-tall pine in Brookside Park.

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A group of children at a summer day camp were hurt when the 75-year-old tree went down next to the Kidspace Children's Museum. Most were only slightly injured, but a boy and girl were hospitalized for several days.

City spokesman William Boyer says all of Pasadena's public trees are routinely inspected, but the problems cited in the report - including a lack of anchoring roots - weren't visible.