Copyright The Oregonian
A University of Oregon student was walking on a tree-lined path on campus earlier this year when a pine suddenly toppled onto her — fracturing her spine and leaving her lower body permanently paralyzed, a lawsuit claims. Attorneys for Olivia Rose Edwards seek $16.3 million from the Eugene university for medical bills as well as pain and suffering, according to papers filed Tuesday in Lane County Circuit Court. “The tree was fatally weakened by disease or some other cause,” the lawsuit claims. “Such weakness would have been apparent upon reasonable and routine maintenance and inspection.” Edwards, a junior at the time, was forced to walk past the tree — described as a 50-foot-tall white pine — because of fencing set up to detour pedestrians away from construction work at Friendly Hall, according to the suit. The tree fell around 11 a.m. on Feb. 24, the suit says. An atmospheric river had rolled through Oregon over the preceding days, and some areas of the state were under National Weather Service advisories for strong winds, according to contemporary reports. But no one from university administration warned students of the dangers presented by soggy grounds and wind-broken branches, the suit alleges, until after Edwards was injured. Attorneys for the undergraduate filed a legal warning of a future lawsuit a day after her injury, but the university wood-chipped the tree, destroying “critical evidence,” the litigation claims. In a statement, University of Oregon spokesperson Eric Howald said the school has more than 4,000 trees on its campus. He said the administration employs a team of arborists who regularly inspect the trees, check their health and trim or remove them as necessary. “We are heartbroken about Ms. Edwards’ injuries. This was a terrible accident caused by an extreme weather event,” he said. Edwards’ legal team didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
