A basswood tree that was 30 inches in diameter fell and killed a woman who was walking or jogging on a city trail near Eden Prairie's Mitchell Lake on Friday.
The victim was identified Saturday as Nina Mackay, 56, of Eden Prairie.
Mackay was taking her two dogs on their daily hour-long walk when the accident occurred. One of the dogs was briefly trapped in the tree branches, and the other ran home. Both are uninjured.
Eden Prairie and Edina rescue workers as well as the Hennepin County Sheriff's Department responded, but Mackay was dead at the scene. Another woman she was with escaped injury, city spokeswoman Katie Bengtson said.
The incident occurred about 5:20 p.m. near Belfast Cove and George Moran Drive in northwest Eden Prairie. That part of the trail is expected to be reopened to the public Saturday, Bengtson said.
Parks workers found no signs of disease in the tree, which was 30 inches in diameter. Eden Prairie has not had a widespread problem of trees falling because of recently saturated ground, Bengtson added.
The tree, which was 90 years old, fell to the west. Bengtson added that winds at the time were gusting to 23 miles per hour from the southeast. Much stronger winds are usually required to take down mature trees.
Bill McAuliffe
