Boy Scout's mother killed by falling tree during Santa Clara hike

Mother killed by falling tree while hiking with son’s Boy Scout troop in Bay Area

Emergency response vehicles parked near a forested area

Staff Writer

Published March 6, 2023 Updated March 7, 2023 8:08 AM PT

The mother of a Boy Scout who was out hiking with a troop in Santa Clara was killed Sunday when a tree fell on top of her, according to authorities.

The woman, whom the medical examiner identified as Vidyut Nautiyal, 44, was on a planned hike at Rancho San Antonio park when she was struck by the tree, according to Eric Tarbox, Scout executive of the Boy Scouts’ Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council.

“Rangers and EMS were summoned to the scene. We will continue to cooperate with investigating authorities. All Scouts are safe and there were no additional injuries. Our emergency response protocols and notifications are currently being followed, and we appreciate privacy for the family and Scout unit as they are still being moved from the area and rejoined with their families,” Tarbox said in a statement.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m., with firefighters struggling to quickly access the remote area on the trail, according to Matt Mokhtarian, a fire captain with the Santa Clara County Fire Department.

“They were escorted by the Midpeninsula Open Space Rangers up the trail several miles,” Mokhtarian said.

Though bystanders with the Boy Scout troop had attempted to extricate the woman from under the tree before the firefighters’ arrival, they were unsuccessful.

Firefighters got the woman out from under the tree and attempted life-saving measures, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Mokhtarian.

It was not immediately clear whether it was an entire tree, a branch or part of the tree that fell and struck the woman.

None of the children in the Boy Scout troop were injured, nor were any other adults, Tarbox said.

Times staff writer Dakota Smith contributed to this report.