Oak Branch Drops on Yosemite Tram; 2 Killed, 9 Seriously Hurt

Two tourists were killed Saturday and nine others seriously injured when a 25-foot oak branch crashed onto an open-air tram at Yosemite National Park.

The tram, carrying about 50 passengers, had just begun what was to be a two-hour tour of Yosemite Valley when an overhanging branch cracked and fell about 15 feet onto it, park officials said.

“This was just a freak accident,” said park spokeswoman Mallory Smith. “There’s no other way to explain it.”

The dead were identified as Robert and Greta Ross of Pleasanton, Calif. Smith said the couple were in their 20s and planned to stay overnight in a cabin in the park.

The nine injured passengers, most suffering head injuries or broken bones, were airlifted to hospitals in Modesto, Mariposa and Fresno, where all were reported in stable condition.

The six victims in Modesto were identified as Dean and Wilma Evans, both 61, of Long Beach; Steve and Diane Lee, 38 and 32 respectively, of Phillips Ranch in Los Angeles County; Thomas Artis, 26, of North Highlands, Calif., and Kenneth Bray, 58, of Cocoa Beach, Fla.

The two in Mariposa were identified as Emory and Joan Smith of Rancho Palos Verdes, 64 and 63. In Fresno, the ninth victim was an unidentified 28-year-old Swiss man.

Five other passengers were treated for broken bones and minor injuries at the park’s clinic.

Worst hurt were passengers riding in the front or rear of the tram. Those in the middle were not injured, witnesses said.

Park officials said they do not know what caused the branch to snap.

“There was a crack; I heard the crack,” said tram driver Jack Peters. “There was no wind, there was no snow, there was nothing. It just came down and hit the tram.”

Witnesses said the bough, measuring about 18 inches in diameter and 25 feet long, was the size of a large tree.

Saturday’s incident was the first accident involving the open-air trams operated by Yosemite Park and Curry Co., which also runs park concessions. The trams have operated since 1970 with no serious problems, park officials said.

More than 100,000 people a year ride the trams, which tour the floor of Yosemite Valley, the park’s tourist hub.

Yosemite National Park has been plagued with difficulties this year. In May, park officials threatened to limit access to the seven-square-mile valley because of overcrowding. The first strike in the park’s 95-year history also occurred that month when about 100 bus drivers, garage and maintenance workers walked off their jobs for 10 days.

“This has been a strange year up here at the park,” Ranger Sue Beatty said. “Hopefully, it will calm down.”

Times staff writer Richard O’Reilly contributed to this story from Yosemite National Park.