Falling tree at Punch Pizza in Wayzata leaves Oregon woman in critical condition

The city of Wayzata, Minnesota, is working with businesses and property owners to remove potentially hazardous trees after a woman was critically injured by a tree that snapped and fell onto the patio at Punch Pizza earlier this month.

Micki Scott was visiting from Oregon to celebrate her daughter’s birthday on the weekend of Saturday, May 6. Her husband, Dan Scott, told Wayzata police that they were eating dinner on the patio at Punch Pizza that evening. Throughout dinner, they could hear what sounded like crackling sounds coming from the woods. An incident report noted that Punch Pizza borders a large wooded area full of tall trees. Dan Scott said all of a sudden a large tree snapped and came crashing down on the patio, and parts of the tree also landed on top of the building.

"Horrific," Scott said. "In one word, life changing. There's too many unknowns."

First responders learned Micki Scott was pinned underneath the tree, but multiple people were able to lift it enough to get her out. When police and paramedics arrived, she was leaning up against the downed tree, complaining of pain in her head, hip and chest.

"She never lost consciousness; she never screamed; she never cried," he said. "But i knew there was a big problem when she said, 'I hear gurgling.' That's when i knew she probably had a punctured lung."

According to the incident report, Scott suffered a head injury, broken ribs and a possible concussion. Family members posted an update on a GoFundMe page, which said Scott suffered five fractures in the pelvis region, seven broken ribs on the left, a punctured lung, and a head wound. She has been in the ICU since shortly after her injury.

“Micki is healing and we're grateful that she's showing signs of ‘waking up,’” the update said. “We don't yet know how long she'll remain in the ICU and where her next move will be to. It's possible that she'll be moved to a care facility in Minnesota for a few weeks, but nothing has been determined yet.”

The GoFundMe campaign is aimed at raising the money for a medical flight to get Micki Scott back home to Oregon. You can contribute at https://www.gofundme.com/mickiscott.

Wayzata City Manager Jeffrey Dahl said an arborist determined the fallen tree appeared to be diseased.

Statement from Wayzata City Manager Jeffery Dahl

"With regard to the unfortunate incident on May 6, 2017, the City continues to wish the injured woman well and hopes for a full recovery.  The tree that fell was located on City property, known as The Big Woods.  The Minnesota Land Trust owns and operates a conservation easement over this area. Since the incident, and in addition to providing fast and a high-level emergency response from our Police and Fire Department, the City has been working with the business and property owner associated with Punch Pizza to clean up the site and remove any additional trees in the neighboring area that could be any kind of threat in the future.  Lastly, the City has provided information on the incident to the City's insurer, the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust, who will process any claims related to the incident."

Statement from Punch Pizza

“Punch Pizza is saddened by the unfortunate act of nature that injured Ms. Scott and have done what we can to accommodate her family. We hope the City of Wayzata and others involved can also help the family."