Local News
Two students and an adult were injured when a tree fell on the elementary school playground Monday.
A Melrose student has died after a tree toppled on an elementary school playground Monday, injuring the child and two more people.
“We are deeply saddened to share the heartbreaking news that a student who was severely injured in yesterday’s accident at the Winthrop Elementary School has passed away,” Melrose Mayor Jen Grigoraitis and Superintendent Cari Berman said in a joint statement.
They did not release the student’s name or age.
An adult and another child were also injured Monday afternoon when the tree fell on the elementary school playground shortly before 3 p.m. Both have since been discharged from local hospitals, according to Grigoraitis and Berman.
It was not immediately clear what caused the tree to fall; Melrose police and fire officials did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday, nor did the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.
Grigoraitis and Berman said the city has deployed counseling resources to the school community and “will continue to provide support and care in this time of grief.”
“There are no words to convey such a profound loss. Our hearts are and will remain with the student’s family, friends, classmates who are navigating this unimaginable tragedy,” they added. “We request privacy for the family and our school community at this time.”
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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