Adela Maga\u00f1a, 53, was celebrating her son\u2019s 13th birthday at Golf N\u2019 Stuff mini golf course in Ventura, Calif., shortly after 5:30 p.m. local time on Aug. 6, when a palm tree fell on her, per local news outlet VC Star.<\/a><\/p>\n The mother of four was sitting on a bench watching others play when the accident occurred, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n Google Maps<\/p>\n Golf N’ Stuff mini golf course in Ventura, Calif.<\/p>\n \u201cI was going to go look for the ball, and […] I heard a screeching sound \u2014 like a branch breaking<\/a>,\u201d Maga\u00f1a\u2019s son, Junior, 22, told VC Star. \u201cI thought nothing of it, but then I heard a big old thump, and people were running toward my mom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Junior and his father, Amando, along with two other people, ran to lift the tree \u2014 which was about 40 feet long \u2014 off Adela.<\/p>\n “After that, we went straight into stopping the bleeding,\u201d Junior recalled. \u201cWe got a belt, used it as a tourniquet, held it and had other people call 911.\u201d<\/p>\n Junior also said that the family hadn’t even planned to be at the course that day, noting that it had been a last-minute decision.<\/p>\n “We were trying to make [my brother’s] birthday a little bit better because it was mid-week, and we didn\u2019t know what to do. We thought of something fast: play mini golf and then go have dinner afterward. But we never got to dinner,” he recalled.<\/p>\n Adela was treated by Ventura City Fire Department officials on the scene and then transported to the Ventura County Medical Center, where surgeons ultimately determined that her right arm needed to be amputated just below the shoulder. She had surgery on Aug. 7, per VC Star.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Adela\u2019s daughter, Nancy, said her mom, who manufactures bolts at an automotive racing products company, now has a \u201clong road\u201d to recovery.<\/p>\n \u200b\u200b\u201cShe\u2019s a very strong woman \u2014 even at this point. She\u2019s not able to talk, but she\u2019s able to nod her head. She has a long journey ahead of her,\u201d she said while speaking to the outlet.<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n Hospital bed (stock image)<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/924106b5f5c8e1c00cbbca0a8a2f15e0.jpeg\"\/)
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