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'I Don't Really Want To Step Onto That Field Ever Again': Injured Students Recovering After Tree Falls During Softball Game

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BELLEVUE (KDKA) -- Several people are recovering after Monday's freak accident on the Northgate campus.

A large tree came down during a middle school softball game, injuring 10 people. Two of the victims are from the same family.

"I heard the crackle and I turned around, and I was like, 'What the heck?'" Kelly Ayers said. "And I literally saw it starting to slowly slide, and I just started screaming, 'Run, run, oh my god, run.'"

Kelly was at the softball field with her four children Monday when a giant tree came crashing onto home plate at Northgate Middle/Senior High School.

"I was literally spinning in circles trying to find all four of my kids because I had four kids there with me," Kelly said.

Her daughter Emma, who is in the 8th grade, was the catcher for Northgate and was right in the tree's path.

"Very scary," Emma said. "I was, like, in shock. Like, is this a dream?"

emma ayers
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

The umpire pushed Emma out of the way, but she injured her knee as she was running away.

"I fell, like, a little bit. Like tripped or twisted it," she said.

The tree's branches injured her as well.

"As I was running, the tree scratched my arm," she said.

But Emma's older sister, McKayla, is still in the hospital. She was watching the game and when the tree fell, she was knocked to the ground.

"She was running, and she tripped and the tree hit the fence, and then the fence fell down on top of her," Kelly said. "The coaches from the other team actually climbed in and directed her to come out and then they got her to army crawl out, and they laid her on the ground and held her neck and stuff."

northgate school tree down
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

McKayla was rushed to the hospital. She has to have another CAT scan because of pain in her back, and she has some scrapes and cuts on her legs.

As for Emma, she says she'll play softball again, but it's going to be hard.

"I don't really want to step onto that field ever again, but I guess you have to do what you have to do," Emma said.

For now, the Northgate superintendent has told everyone to stay away from the field, but Kelly hopes the district will take some precautions.

"I'm hoping that Northgate cleans up some of the trees. I know it's hard when they're big huge trees like that," Kelly said. "All I'm saying is our girls were all literally sitting there seconds before that fell ... It could have been way worse."

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