Latest news with #Hua
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
In Yosemite, falling tree branches kill a young hiker in ‘freak accident'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox An autopsy had determined that Ms Angela Lin's death was accidental, resulting from blunt injuries. The trails of Tuolumne Grove, a popular site in Yosemite National Park, wind through forests of pine and giant sequoias, the largest trees on earth. On July 19, after hiking about a mile into the grove, Ms Angela Lin, 29, and her friends heard a snapping sound above them. 'Two to three seconds later, branches fell out of the sky,' Ms Lin's friend, Mr David Hua, told SFGate. 'One big branch struck Angela and then there were a bunch of smaller ones directly behind me.' Mr Hua said he closed his eyes as the branches crashed down. When he opened them, he saw Ms Lin on the ground, blood pooling around her head. He called 911 and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation until a ranger took over. This week, the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office released a statement about the incident, identifying Ms Lin and saying that an autopsy had determined that her death was accidental, resulting from blunt injuries. It said a ranger had responded at about 6pm that day after reports that a hiker had been fatally struck by 'falling portions of a tree'. The news has generated interest in the accident, a rare occurrence along a popular trail in one of the nation's busiest national parks. News reports have focused on the allure of venturing into the wilderness despite its potential risks. Falling branch deaths are uncommon but not unheard-of. Two campers died after a branch fell on their tent in Yosemite in 2015. Ms Angela Shih Lin was born in Los Angeles, but lived in Mountain View, California, according to a memorial notice. She worked at Google as a software engineer, according to her LinkedIn profile. The company said in a statement that it 'lost a loved and respected member of our team.' Mr Hua and Ms Lin's family did not respond to requests for comment. Mr Hua created a fundraiser in Ms Lin's name after she died to benefit public media in the San Francisco area. In it, he said Ms Lin 'cherished nature and the outdoors', including mountain hikes. He told SFGate that she was cautious when on hikes. 'She never goes off trails,' he said. 'So usually, when you hear about these incidents, someone is doing something dangerous, like playing in water or near a cliff or something.' He added: 'There's nothing we could have done to predict or prevent this.' Vehicle crashes, drownings and falls are the top three leading causes of unintentional deaths in US national parks, according to mortality data in a five-year period through 2019. Tuolumne Grove is known for its nearly 5km trails through majestic forests and for a tunnel carved through one of its giant trees. From the trailhead, hikers walk about a mile among ponderosa and sugar pines before reaching a mixed conifer forest with the soaring giant sequoias. Ms Elisabeth Barton, a founder of the Echo Adventure Cooperative, which gives tours in the park, said that when visitors asked her about dangers in the parks, she usually mentioned mountain lions, bears, waterfalls and rock slides. Falling branches from a sequoia, which can reach 97m tall with a single branch as big as 2.5m to 3m around, are not usually on her list. 'All of those trees are very, very big,' she said. 'It is a freak accident unfortunately.' Ms Barton was guiding a group on a popular 'hike and BBQ' tour on July 20, a day after Ms Lin died, when she discovered that law enforcement officials had blocked access to the trail. Ms Barton said she had never before been turned away from the grove. The perils of branches falling from above are part of trail lore. Ms Barton said she had a close call in 2009 on the Appalachian Trail when she woke up to find a tree had fallen less than 1m her tent. A trail acquaintance once narrowly missed a limb hitting his head, and has since been called 'Duck'. 'It really is a situation where we are entering the wilderness and anything can happen,' she said. 'It is another sign that the wilderness can be wild.' NYTIMES
International Business Times
19 hours ago
- International Business Times
Angela Lin: Google Engineer Tragically Dies in Freak Accident While Hiking with Boyfriend at Yosemite National Park
A 29-year-old software engineer from Google was killed her life in a freak accident at Yosemite National Park earlier this month when a massive branch from a giant sequoia tree fell and hit her on the head. Angela Lin, a software engineer with nearly six years of experience at Salesforce and later Google, was hiking on July 19 with her boyfriend and two other friends along a trail that passed through the Tuolumne Grove, known for its towering sequoias. Suddenly, a loud cracking noise was heard from above — and within a few seconds, multiple branches from one of the enormous trees came crashing down, according to Lin's boyfriend, David Hua. Tragic Death Angela Lin LinkedIn "One big branch struck Angela, and then there were a bunch of smaller ones directly behind me," Hua told SFGate. Hua said that as the branches came crashing down, he instantly shut his eyes — and when he opened them again, he saw Lin lying on her back, blood pooling around her head. "It was just unimaginable that something like this could occur," Hua said over the phone with a shaky voice, according to SFGate. "On such a popular trail, too." After Lin's death, Tuolumne Grove—the area where she and her group had been hiking—was closed to the public for nearly a week. Scott Gediman, Yosemite's public affairs officer, told SFGate that the incident remains under investigation. Hua shared that Lin's family and friends have struggled to get additional information from the park service, and their growing frustration has led them to speak out through the media. "We are seeking more information from the park service regarding this incident, especially around trail safety, maintenance and awareness of problematic trees on popular trails, and future prevention of similar incidents," Hua said. Out of the Blue Angela Lin Facebook Traumatized bystanders have also been desperately seeking updates about Lin, with one person even creating a Reddit thread titled "Tuolumne Grove Incident 7/19" in an effort to learn if she had survived. "I am a tourist, but was on the scene of an extremely tragic freak accident in the area trying to provide [aid], and it has been haunting me. I can't stop thinking about it and can't find any news articles updating about the situation," the user wrote in a post on the Reddit thread. "It hits so so hard because they were doing nothing wrong or careless... Life can be so cruel." Although uncommon, Yosemite has seen several tragic fatal accidents over the years. Last summer, college student Grace Rohloff tragically fell 200 feet to her death from the Half Dome cables during a storm, moments after telling her father, "Dad, my shoes are so slippery." In October of the same year, 22-year-old Australian hiker Harry Partington was fatally crushed by a falling tree while on the park's Four Mile Trail, which links Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. Back in August 2015, two high school students lost their lives when an oak tree branch fell on their tent while they were sleeping.
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
29-year-old Google engineer dies in freak accident on popular Yosemite trail
A 29-year-old Google software engineer was killed in a freak accident at Yosemite National Park this month when a branch from a giant sequoia tree fell and struck her on the head. Angela Lin, who worked as a software engineer for about six years at Salesforce and then Google, was hiking on July 19 with her boyfriend and two friends on a trail that wound through the Tuolumne Grove of towering sequoias. Suddenly a large crack sounded from above – and two seconds later, several branches from one of the famously massive trees came tumbling down, according to Lin's boyfriend, David Hua. 4 Angela Lin, a 29-year-old software engineer at Google. LinkedIn/Angela Lin 'One big branch struck Angela, and then there were a bunch of smaller ones directly behind me,' Hua told SFGate. As the branches fell, Hua said he closed his eyes – and by the time he opened them, Lin was sprawled face up on the ground with blood pooling around her head. Hua said he called 911 and performed CPR until a park ranger arrived and took over. An ambulance eventually made it to the scene, but Lin was never placed inside. Emergency personnel later said that the falling branch had likely killed his girlfriend instantly, Hua said. 'It was just unimaginable that something like this could occur,' Hua said over the phone with a shaky voice, according to SFGate. 'On such a popular trail, too.' Tuolumne Grove, the area where Lin and her group had been hiking, was closed to visitors for about a week after her death. Yosemite public affairs officer Scott Gediman told SFGate the incident is still under investigation. Park officials did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment. 4 Tuolumne Grove was closed to visitors for about a week after Angela Lin's death. Getty Images Hua said Lin's loved ones have not been able to learn more from the park service, and the frustrating experience has pushed them to go to the media. 'We are seeking more information from the park service regarding this incident, especially around trail safety, maintenance and awareness of problematic trees on popular trails, and future prevention of similar incidents,' Hua said. Traumatized bystanders have also been frantically searching for information on Lin, with one person creating a Reddit post titled 'Tuolumne Grove Incident 7/19' in hopes of finding out whether Lin survived. 'I am a tourist, but was on the scene of an extremely tragic freak accident in the area trying to provide [aid], and it has been haunting me. I can't stop thinking about it and can't find any news articles updating about the situation,' the user wrote in a post on the Reddit thread. 'It hits so so hard because they were doing nothing wrong or careless… Life can be so cruel.' Though rare, Yosemite has seen several tragic, fatal accidents over the years. 4 Ellery Lake, located along Tioga Pass near Yosemite National Park's east entrance. Getty Images Last summer, college student Grace Rohloff slipped and fell 200 feet to her death from the Half Dome cables during a storm – just after telling her father: 'Dad, my shoes are so slippery.' Australian hiker Harry Partington, 22, was crushed and killed by a falling tree in October last year on the park's Four Mile trail, which connects Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. In August 2015, two high school students asleep in a tent were killed by a falling oak tree limb. Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post's signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here! A concessions worker in 2012 died when a tree fell on his tent during a windstorm. Lin's death was particularly bizarre, as she wasn't camped under a tree and there was no wind on the day she died, according to Hua. 'The sad thing is that Angela is the most cautious person you can be,' Hua said. 4 Though rare, the national park has seen several tragic, fatal accidents over the years. Getty Images 'She is super careful. She stays on trails. She never goes off trails. So, usually when you hear about these incidents, someone is doing something dangerous, like playing in water or near a cliff or something.' Hua, who had been close with Lin since they attended college together at UC Berkeley, called her death a 'devastating loss.' Ian Cook, who met Lin in their dorm building at UC Berkeley, said Lin was a fast friend. 'Angela was obviously whip-smart, but she led with a simple and playful attitude. That mix of confidence and humility put folks around her at ease,' Cook told SFGate. Research scientist Richard Zhang was in Lin's undergraduate lab, and said she stayed 'through the late nights before the paper deadline' and 'thoughtfully [treated] us to chocolate to keep our spirits up.' After graduating with her master's degree from University of Texas at Austin, Lin worked in the Bay Area as an engineer at Google. 'We lost a loved and respected member of our team. We're very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones,' a Google spokesperson told The Post.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Google engineer killed by falling tree branch while hiking in Yosemite National Park: ‘Just unimaginable'
A young software engineer at Google was killed in a 'freak accident' after a large branch fell and hit her during a hike in the Yosemite National Park. Angela Lin, 29, was out with her boyfriend in the Tuolumne Grove area of the park on the afternoon of July 19 when the incident occurred. 'It was just unimaginable that something like this could occur,' her partner, David Hua, told SD Gate. 'On such a popular trail, too.' Hua recalled that several branches had fallen out of the sky, including several smaller ones near to him and a large one that had struck Lin. Lin was on the ground with a bloody head wound, he said, adding that he had performed CPR on her until a park ranger had arrived. An ambulance was later called but Lin was reportedly already dead. The Independent has contacted the Yosemite National Park for further information on the incident. Other details on the incident were scarce, though one individual who claimed to have been present posted on Reddit: 'I am a tourist, but was on the scene of an extremely tragic freak accident in the area trying to provide aid, and it has been haunting me. 'I can't stop thinking about it and can't find any news articles updating about the situation.' In posts on Facebook groups the Lin family requested privacy to deal with their grief. However, Hua says that authorities have not been forthcoming with further information on their investigations – prompting him to reach out to the media. 'We are seeking more information from the park service regarding this incident, especially around trail safety, maintenance and awareness of problematic trees on popular trails, and future prevention of similar incidents,' Hua told SF Gate. In a statement shared with The Independent, a spokesperson for Google said: "We lost a loved and respected member of our team. We're very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Health experts warn Trump cuts to the CDC could hurt overdose prevention: ‘A step backwards'
Public health officials across the country working to prevent overdose deaths may have just a month to prepare for up to $140m in funding cuts for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the Trump administration has reportedly withheld. US overdose deaths began to decline for the first time in 2023 after climbing for over two decades. The CDC's Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) cooperative agreement, launched in 2019 during the first Trump administration, provides funding for overdose 'prevention and surveillance strategies'. Public health officials emphasized to the Guardian that to effectively reduce fatal overdoses, agencies must work in tandem to track substance use disorders, overdoses and changes in the drug supply, and to implement interventions, like distributing the overdose reversal drug naloxone. OD2A funding made this kind of robust response possible. The Biden administration expanded the program in 2023, giving five year grants to 90 state and local public health departments. Related: How to help people with addictions on the streets? These Oregon programs have solutions 'The funding has largely been used for surveillance, in other words, to obtain data on the opioid crisis that informs a public health response to the problem,' said Dr Andrew Kolodny, medical director for the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University. 'In general, our surveillance data for the opioid crisis is awful. I would even say that one of the reasons that the opioid crisis is as severe as it is, and why, up until recently, overdose deaths have continued to go up pretty much year after year for about 25 years, is because we had very poor surveillance of the problem.' But now, health officials worry the money could run out at the end of the first two year cycle on 1 September. Dr Jenny Hua, interim deputy commissioner for Chicago's department of public health (CDPH), which receives $3.4m annually in OD2A funding, says they're preparing for the worst. 'We are doing scenario planning. The preferred scenario is that we have the entire award starting the first of August,' she said, though she's uncertain whether that's likely. Hua noted that what she's been 'told about this money is that at least half of it is available next year. The problem is that for a number of [the CDC's] cooperative agreements with local health departments and state health departments, they're receiving that money in monthly increments, which has never happened before.' She also said that the CDC now doesn't have enough money at once to distribute. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said in a statement that CDC is committed to the O2DA program and that: 'We are working closely with our funding partners to make within the next month, at a minimum, initial grant awards, which may contain less than the full-year of funding in the first incremental award … This incremental funding approach is not specific to OD2A.' Hua said 'that sort of fog is making it incredibly difficult for us to make funding decisions, to allocate our resources.' The CDPH has used OD2A funding to make same day substance use disorder treatment available to patients through telehealth, and had plans to expand recovery housing for treatment. 'Do you pull the plug? What tea leaves are we supposed to read, to know what course of action to take?' Hao wondered. Kolodny said it's especially important to keep funding surveillance of multiple factors related to overdose deaths because 'right now, you can talk to five different experts, and you'll get five different explanations for why the deaths are coming down. Nobody really knows, right? And that's because we don't have good surveillance data,' he said, 'and it's about to get worse.' Surveillance means tracking not only the number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the US, but also the prevalence of substance use disorders, including opioid use disorder. Historically, this has been the mission of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Samhsa), which also provides a plethora of other addiction and overdose prevention services, but that agency also faces funding cuts. OD2A funding also went towards surveillance of 'emergency drug threats' which often comes in the form of new adulterants in the street drug supply. Unexpected substances, including tranquilizers like xylazine, and potent synthetic opioids like nitazenes and carfentanil, can cause overdoses and poisonings that are more dangerous because they aren't yet well understood. Still, many health departments across the country do not monitor the street drug supply. Street drug surveillance can help officials intervene rapidly when overdoses increase. Partly thanks to OD2A funding, Chicago health officials immediately became aware of a spike in overdoses on the city's west side last May. Lab analysis revealed the spike was related to the presence of medetomidine, a potent veterinary tranquilizer, in the street drug supply. In June, the CDPH launched the Summer Opioid Response Incident Command System, a coordinated effort involving public messaging about the contaminated drug supply, distribution of naloxone and drug testing kits, and expanding access to treatment. This effort reduced overdose related emergency responses by 23% last summer compared to the year before, according to a report on the program. The Los Angeles department of public health also uses OD2A funding for 'community-based drug checking', according to a statement from a spokesperson; 'The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recently announced a 22% decline in drug-related overdose deaths and poisonings in 2024, the most significant drop in LA County history,' adding that 'the CDC Overdose to Action LOCAL grant award contributed to these successes.' A spokesperson for the Maryland department of health said that cuts could mean layoffs for 28 public health workers, which would mean they no longer have the capacity to track non-fatal overdoses and will lose most of their capacity to track fatal overdoses. Tracking the number of people who die of overdoses is the 'bare minimum' of surveillance, according to Kolodny, who noted that funding cuts are 'frustrating' to witness. 'Trump has been especially popular in some of the regions of the country that have suffered most from the opioid crisis. So one might think that his administration would be doing everything it can to bring this problem to an end. And in my opinion, this is a step backwards,' he said. Funding overdose prevention doesn't just save lives, it also saves money, Kolodny said: 'The opioid crisis is a trillion dollar a year problem, and I'm not making up that number. That's a number that comes in part from the cost analysis on the number of lives that are lost.' Lives will continue to be lost until we can really understand what drives overdose deaths, Kolodny said: 'Without the data, we're shooting in the dark.'
