Tragedy Strikes: Family Mini Golf Outing Ends in Amputation
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT
Imagine celebrating your child’s birthday with laughter and fun, only to have it turn into a nightmare. That’s exactly what happened to Adela Magana, a 53-year-old woman whose life was dramatically altered during what was meant to be a joyous family outing at a mini golf course in Ventura, California.
On August 6, Adela and her family were at Golf N’ Stuff to celebrate her son Damien’s 13th birthday. In what should have been a day filled with joy and laughter, a horrifying incident changed everything.
While sitting quietly on a bench watching her family play, the unexpected happened: a palm tree, towering at 12 meters, came crashing down, trapping Adela underneath as her family looked on in sheer horror. The sudden and terrifying event left her bloodied and unable to escape.
“I was going to look for the ball, and then I heard this screeching sound, like a branch breaking,” recalled her 22-year-old son, Junior. “I thought nothing of it, but then came this big old thump, and people were running toward my mum.”
What was meant to be a simple, fun-filled mini golf session turned into a frantic race to save Adela. Junior described how he, along with his father Amando and other bystanders, had to lift the heavy tree off of her before rushing to stop the bleeding with a belt used as a tourniquet. “We were just trying to make Damien’s birthday special because it was mid-week and we didn’t know what else to do,” Junior lamented. “But we never got to dinner.”
Rushed to the hospital, Adela faced an uphill battle. The surgeons fought valiantly to save her right arm, but the damage was too severe. Just a day later, on August 7, they had no choice but to perform an amputation just below her shoulder.
As Adela lays recovering in Ventura County Medical Center, her daughter Nancy reflects on the devastation. “She’s a very strong woman—even now she can nod her head, even if she can’t speak,” she said. “But she has a long journey ahead.”
Adela will require several additional surgeries to prepare for a prosthetic limb and will enter a rigorous rehabilitation program to help her adjust. Meanwhile, her children are left grappling with the trauma of witnessing such a horrific event unfold.
