A young mother is dead and her baby son seriously wounded after a large piece of a tree fell and struck them while sitting on a bench at Peek Forest Park early in the evening on Friday.
According to Polk County Coroner Tony Brazier, the 16-year-old mother was sitting on a bench near the playground area when the top section of a large oak tree suddenly fell and struck the mother and her son, causing serious injury.
Redmond Emergency Medical Services personnel and Cedartown Police arrived on the scene just after 6:48 PM Friday and promptly transported the mother to Floyd Medical Center via Redmond EMS. The baby was transported to a landing area near First Presbyterian Church and airlifted via Life Flight helicopter to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Brazier confirmed that 16-year-old La’Rena Drayton of Cedartown was pronounced dead at Floyd Medical Center at 7:40 PM Friday evening. Her one-year-old son, Jeremiah Drayton was last listed in critical condition at CHA.
The City of Cedartown released a statement Friday evening, asking to “keep those affected by this accident in your thoughts and prayers.”
An arborist is expected to be called in to examine the trees at Peek Forest Park.
Brazier said that the fallen limb did not appear to be withered or dead.