A 29-year-old Google software engineer died at Yosemite National Park earlier this month after a tree branch fell and struck her on the head while she was walking a popular trail.
Angela Lin was hiking in the park through Tuolumne Grove on July 19 when a loud cracking sound came from the giant sequoia trees towering above her, her boyfriend David Hua told SFGate, which first reported the incident.
“Two to three seconds later, branches fell out of the sky,” Hua said. “One big branch struck Angela, and then there were a bunch of smaller ones directly behind me.”
Hua described seeing Lin on the ground with blood pooling around her head before calling 911 and performing CPR until emergency responders arrived. He said paramedics told him that the branch likely killed Lin instantly.
“It was just unimaginable that something like this could occur,” Hua said. “On such a popular trail, too.”
While the National Park Service has yet to release a statement on Lin’s death, Yosemite public affairs officer Scott Gediman released a statement to Fox News Digital on Wednesday, simply saying that the “incident is still under investigation,” with “no further information available.”
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Hua told SFGate that there has been a frustrating lack of communication from officials, and that Lin’s loved ones are seeking information about trail safety, maintenance and awareness of problematic trees on popular trails.
Lin earned her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley before getting her master’s degree and Ph.D. at the University of Texas. She had worked at Google since 2022.
“We lost a loved and respected member of our team,” a Google spokesperson told FOX2 San Francisco. “We’re very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones.”
