By Olivia Scheck
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The parents of a baby girl who was killed by a falling tree limb in Central Park plan to file a $50 million lawsuit, the New York Post reported.
Six-month-old Gianna Ricciutti died in her mother's arms in June, as the two posed for a picture near the Central Park zoo. Gianna's father, Michael Ricciutti, who was taking the picture, saw the falling branch kill his infant daughter and strike his wife in the head.
Now, Ricciutti and his wife, Karla DelGallo, 33, who spent weeks in a coma following the tragedy, say they will sue the city, the Central Park Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Post reported.
Although the Conservancy keeps a comprehensive directory of every tree in Central Park, including maintenance warnings and recommended care, the families of people killed by falling branches claim that the system is often ineffective, with maintenance agencies failing to act on its observations.
Elmaz Qyra, 56, of Brooklyn was killed by a tree branch in Central Park last winter, and Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, 33, a Manhattan father who worked as an engineer for Google, was also struck in the park in September 2009. Both incidents led to lawsuits against the city and the Conservancy.
The Conservancy denied responsibility for the tree that killed Gianna Ricciutii outside the Central Park Zoo, claiming that it belonged to the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Ricciutti indicated that he would file suit shortly after the accident, when he took legal action demanding that the city preserve evidence from the tragic accident.
