A Salem man struck by a massive falling limb last week remains in critical condition in a Portland hospital, according to his sister.
Jim Arnold, 50, was standing outside a food truck in the Grant area when an oak tree limb fell the afternoon of Aug. 29, according his sister, Patti Barnes. He was treated in Salem initially and then flown to Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, where he remains in intensive care.
Three people were hospitalized after the 7,000 pound tree branch fell on the Tin Roof Bistro By Sweet Treats food truck Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 29, shortly after a busy lunch hour serving Salem-Keizer School District bus drivers attending a training at Broadway Commons.
The food truck was parked in the gravel parking lot at the intersection of Northeast Gaines Street and Northeast 5th Street, owned by the Salem Alliance Church. The tree was at the edge of the lot, on church property. The food truck and several vehicles were damaged in the incident.
Two people were trapped inside the food truck and have since been released from the hospital, while Arnold remains in intensive care.
Barnes told Salem Reporter on Sunday, Sept. 3 that her brother was comatose with broken bones throughout his body, cerebral contusions, and several lacerated organs.
“My brother’s probably not going to come out of this,” Barnes said. “Really a senseless, senseless deal.”
Arnold had been helping out at the cart, she said, and was looking forward to seeing the Beach Boys at the Oregon State Fair that evening. When the branch began to break, she said he either didn’t hear it or couldn’t move out of the way fast enough.
Arnold grew up in Salem with two sisters. He is a father with two children and a step child. He is a grandfather and enjoyed working on his truck to race it in Woodburn, Barnes said.
“Basically just an all-around good guy, you know? He would drop everything and go running if somebody needed something,” she said.
Barnes said she did not want the event to be minimized.
“It’s huge. I’m devastated. My brother’s life is forever different. Even if he does wake up, he’s not going to be the same, I guess. It’s horrible,” she said.
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
