NEED TO KNOW
- A California woman had her arm amputated after a palm tree fell on her at Golf N’ Stuff mini golf course in Ventura on Aug. 6
- Adela Magaña, 53, was at the mini golf course with her family shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time when the incident occurred
- She was there that day to celebrate her son’s 13th birthday
A California woman’s arm was amputated following a freak accident during what was supposed to be a fun family outing.
Adela Magaña, 53, was celebrating her son’s 13th birthday at Golf N’ Stuff mini golf course in Ventura, Calif., shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 6, when a palm tree fell on her, per local news outlet VC Star.
The mother of four was sitting on a bench watching others play when the accident occurred, according to the outlet.
“I was going to go look for the ball, and […] I heard a screeching sound — like a branch breaking,” Magaña’s son, Junior, 22, told VC Star. “I thought nothing of it, but then I heard a big old thump, and people were running toward my mom.”
Junior and his father, Amando, along with two other people, ran to lift the tree — which was about 40 feet long — off Adela.
“After that, we went straight into stopping the bleeding,” Junior recalled. “We got a belt, used it as a tourniquet, held it and had other people call 911.”
Junior also said that the family hadn’t even planned to be at the course that day, noting that it had been a last-minute decision.
“We were trying to make [my brother’s] birthday a little bit better because it was mid-week, and we didn’t know what to do. We thought of something fast: play mini golf and then go have dinner afterward. But we never got to dinner,” he recalled.
Adela was treated by Ventura City Fire Department officials on the scene and then transported to the Ventura County Medical Center, where surgeons ultimately determined that her right arm needed to be amputated just below the shoulder. She had surgery on Aug. 7, per VC Star.
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Adela’s daughter, Nancy, said her mom, who manufactures bolts at an automotive racing products company, now has a “long road” to recovery.
“She’s a very strong woman — even at this point. She’s not able to talk, but she’s able to nod her head. She has a long journey ahead of her,” she said while speaking to the outlet.
Nancy also said that her younger brother, 13-year-old Damien, will also need to heal from the trauma of the event on his birthday.
“It’s a lot to take in as a 13-year-old to witness that. It’s always going to be there for him,” she said.
PEOPLE reached out to the Ventura City Fire Department for comment on Friday, Aug. 15, but did not receive an immediate response.
In an email to PEOPLE, Kevin Martin, general manager at Golf N’ Stuff’s Ventura location, said that the course was shut down following the incident for “precautionary reasons” and will reopen after consulting with a licensed arborist.
He also provided an official statement from the business, which stated, “Golf N’ Stuff Ventura has always, and will continue to make safety for its valued guests its top priority.”
“Through this recent event we were reminded how unpredictable and unforgiving Mother Nature can be at times. Rather than simply be humbled by her unpredictability, we aim to be proactive moving forward to ensure safety for all,” they said. “We will be aligning ourselves even more with our licensed Arborist and Tree Service to give us the knowledge we need.”
They continued, “Our thoughts and prayers are with Mrs. Magaña and her family. Updates have told us that she has been a warrior in her recovery.”
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