Two children were seriously injured when a tree fell on them Friday night in Walton County.

The 4-year-old boy and 3-year-old girl, believed to be siblings, were on a riding toy when the tree fell, hitting them both, Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman said.

The two were flown separately by helicopter to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, where the boy was in critical condition and the girl in fair condition late Friday.

“I’m told that this tree was dead and rotting,” Chapman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The boy was unconscious after being struck, Chapman said. The girl was alert and crying, he said.

The children, who were visiting family on Wagon Trail, near Loganville, were injured around 8:15 p.m. as they played outside, Chapman said. The two live in Stone Mountain, he said.

In October, 2-year-old Tripp Halstead was critically injured when he was hit by a falling tree limb outside his Winder daycare center.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Ernie Suggs, a reporter at the AJC since 1997, reviews a selection of articles he has contributed to during his time with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as of Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Featured

University of Georgia students are seen entering and leaving the main Library on the Athens campus on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez