Erica Roldan Lifted a 20-Foot Piece of Eucalyptus Off Her Husband After It Pinned Him While He Picked Up the Kids’ Toys in Their San Jacinto Backyard

Ricky Roldan was doing one of the most ordinary jobs a parent has: picking up his kids’ toys in the backyard of the family’s San Jacinto, California, home. Then the wind picked up, a section of eucalyptus at least 20 feet long snapped off, and it came down on top of him.

His wife, Erica Roldan, got him out. After trying to lift the tree alone and running to neighbors who were not home, she went back and raised it enough for him to crawl free, according to a report from KCAL/KCBS distributed through CNN Newsource.

A Gust, a Crack and a Father Pinned to the Ground

The father of four was cleaning up the yard on a Saturday afternoon when the winds suddenly strengthened, his mother, Alexandra Roldan, told the station. Part of the eucalyptus broke away and pinned him to the ground.

“He said he heard something when he looked up. That’s when it fell on him,” she said.

Erica Roldan’s first try at lifting the tree did not work. She ran for help and found no one at the neighboring homes. Alexandra Roldan described what happened next: her daughter-in-law ran back, picked up the tree, and her son was able to crawl out from under it. Erica then called 911.

Broken Vertebrae, Broken Ribs and Several Surgeries

Paramedics took Ricky Roldan to a hospital in Moreno Valley. He had several broken vertebrae and broken ribs, and he went into emergency surgery that included heart surgery, according to the version of the report carried by WTOK.

His mother said that before the heart operation, he asked his sister to take care of his family because he did not think he would survive it.

As of the Oct. 20 report, he had been through several surgeries, was still in the hospital with family around him, and was expected to make a full recovery. “He’s broken, but he’s going to be great,” his mother said.

The story was picked up by stations across the country, including KCRG in Iowa. Alexandra Roldan’s closing words to viewers were a reminder that life is short and that people should tell the ones they love how they feel.

How Big Eucalyptus Trees Tend to Fail

Large trees can fail in more than one way. The University of California’s Western Tree Failure Database, which collects voluntary reports from arborists, defines a failure as a broken branch, a broken trunk or an uprooted tree. It notes it cannot judge whether any single tree is safe and points owners to consulting arborists for that.

Among 268 blue gum eucalyptus failures in that database, branches accounted for 42% and roots for 44%, according to UC’s blue gum failure summary. Decay showed up in 41% of the branch failures, and heavy lateral limbs were the most common structural defect, found in 28% of the cases. The typical failed blue gum in the records was about 81 feet tall.

Those figures cover one eucalyptus species and older reports, and none of the coverage identified the exact species or condition of the Roldans’ tree. Still, they show that heavy side limbs were the defect recorded most often when blue gums broke.

A Backyard Chore That Turned Into a Rescue

In the end, the Roldan family’s story is about a wife who would not give up. With no one else around, Erica Roldan lifted a section of tree that had pinned her husband to the ground and got him out in time for paramedics to take over.

Falling trees have upended other families as well, including Katherine Loflin, whose Cary home was hit by a pine more than 100 years old. For the Roldans, the outcome could have been far worse. Their four children still have their father, and his family says he is on the way back.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Niranjan Arminius – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons