10 Injured as Tree Crashes Down on Picnickers in Ojai

At least 10 people were injured Sunday when a giant oak tree split in half and collapsed on a group picnicking in a courtyard at a small, private university near downtown Ojai.

Witnesses described hearing a loud cracking sound about 2:15 p.m. as a rotted section of the 105-foot tree crashed down on a wooden table at World University of America, where children and adults had gathered after a church service.

“Everyone was screaming and yelling,” said Al Calderon, a senior deputy with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department. “It was total chaos.”

One Ojai man, who relatives identified as Jonathan Casimiro, 24, suffered neck and back injuries and was airlifted to Ventura County Medical Center. Authorities said he was treated and released.

“He took the worst of the injuries,” said Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Bob Myers, who was among the first on the scene. “It was a glancing blow from a large portion of the tree.”

The accident confirmed the worst fears of city officials, whose decision to cut down dying oaks in nearby Libbey Park recently sparked protests among tree activists.

“I am very concerned,” said Ojai City Manager Andrew Belknap, who described the tree as being on private property with a canopy that covered some public areas.

“My point of view has always been that trees can fall, and we need to watch them,” Belknap said. “But we also need to preserve and protect them because they are part of the city’s heritage.”

University owner Nora Reyes of Ojai said Casimiro was sitting with his wife, Maria, their newborn baby and other family members at the picnic table just before the tree cracked. The baby’s aunt, Julia Smith of Ventura, carried the infant inside minutes before the accident.

“I was lucky because I was in the middle,” said Reyes, who was swiped by tree branches but not struck by the trunk, which measured 7 1/2 feet around.

Standing beside a splintered picnic table and scattered white disposable plates, Reyes said she recently inherited the school--which specializes in philosophy and religious studies--from her parents, who founded the campus in 1974.

She was treated and released from Ojai Community Hospital along with Kashif Smith, 11, and Andre Reyes, 15. Authorities said a 10-year-old girl was also treated for minor injuries at the Ojai hospital.

Three other people, including two with moderate neck and back injuries, were taken to Ventura County Medical Center. Two others who suffered minor injuries were transported to Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura.

There were reports Sunday of other injuries, but neither law enforcement officials nor hospital personnel could confirm those.

The accident follows a contentious city debate over whether to cut down four century-old oaks in the city’s downtown Libbey Park.

Last week, the city sawed down a dying 180-year-old oak that was tipping precariously over the seats at Libbey Bowl. The oak’s root system was almost completely dead and officials feared it would fall.

The valley oak, which stood 110 feet tall, was called the “Grandmother Tree” by some tree lovers, who held a funeral with songs and poetry to mark its passing.

Two other oaks at the park were cut in March after city arborists determined they were dying and in danger of falling on a children’s playground. The decision sparked angry protests by activists who argued that the city had not fully assessed the trees’ health before cutting them down.

Four people were arrested during the demonstration, including John Christianson, a 51-year-old Ojai activist who climbed a tree and for 15 hours refused to come down.

The City Council later agreed to spare a third oak located at the park’s main entrance.

In recent years, other oaks studding the Ojai Valley have fallen to chain-saw blades after arborists determined they were ravaged by root rot and were in danger of toppling.

But city officials said Sunday that the tree shading the courtyard at World University on Matilija Street showed no outward signs of sickness.

“This tree was very deceiving,” said Paul Stabard, the city’s public works supervisor.

He said the oak, thought to be 150 years old, was standing straight, but its midsection was clearly rotted when officials examined it after it fell. Stabard said the hot weather blanketing the valley may have contributed to the accident.

“When it gets hot, this type of tree draws water into its limbs. It adds additional weight, which was just enough to push it over the edge,” Stabard said.

“It was this type of accident that the city was trying to avoid,” Stabard added. “It illustrates how hazardous they can be.”

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Times Community News reporter Katie Cooper contributed to this story.