MEADOWDALE — A teenage girl was killed Friday after being hit by a falling tree at Meadowdale Beach Park.
It happened around 2:45 p.m. at the Snohomish County park in unincorporated Edmonds, north of Lynnwood.
The girl was with six other young people who split into smaller groups, said Leslie Hynes with Snohomish County Fire District 1. She was walking with a friend on a side trail between the main walking path and the beach.
The tree that fell on her was between 2 and 3 feet in diameter, Hynes said. The location was about a 10-minute walk from the trailhead. The other young people were unhurt.
As of 5 p.m., officials hoped to recover the body before dark. One of the girl’s friends could be seen crying and hugging others at the entrance to the park, which remained closed to the public.
It was not immediately clear if the girl’s family had been notified. The medical examiner’s office was expected to conduct a death investigation and confirm her identity. That process can take several days.
The death followed a period of wet and windy weather. Investigators had not yet determined whether that was a factor, Hynes said.
About one-third of an inch of rain fell in the Everett area between Thursday and Friday. Winds were blowing about 10 mph Friday afternoon, but earlier, gusts of up to 51 mph were recorded at nearby Paine Field.
Meadowdale Beach Park covers more than 100 acres. The main trail through Lund’s Gulch is about 1.25 miles long. It is one of the most popular outdoor destinations in south county.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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