By Nick Buglione
According to state troopers, Anita Piccioli died from severe head trauma when the 52-foot long tree, which they say had been dead for sometime, fell on the small tent pitched on the grounds of Clarence Fahnestack State Park in Putnam County.
The girl's father Carl rushed to her aid, managing to roll the massive timber off the girl's limp body. Feeling uncomfortable in the tent he pitched earlier, the father was spending the evening in the family's car.
Nearby campers called the police, who immediately performed CPR on the young girl when they arrived on the scene. She never regained consciousness, however, and was pronounced dead at 6:55 a.m. at the Hudson Valley Hospital Center. Her mother, who was also taken to the hospital, was unharmed.
"I've never heard anything like this before," Sgt. Ronald Scocozza said in a published report, calling the incident a "horrible accident." The evening was reportedly clear and calm, meaning that the tree most likely had not been blown over by a strong wind.
News of the tragedy shocked the Piccioli's neighbors, who described Anita as a quiet, shy girl just starting to come out of her shell. The family, which has lived in Bellmore for about six years, returned home from upstate New York later on the evening of July 12.
Bellmore Elementary School District Superintendent Sheldon Dumain said that the district is already planning to raise money for a fund in Anita's memory.
She was going to enter the sixth grade at the Shore Road School in the fall.
"We are certainly going to provide information on counseling. Many of our kids are away at camp," Dumain said. "We're going to discuss what we're going to do over the summer for when they come back."
