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Children want answers after dad killed by falling tree
NORMANDY, Mo. – The children of a Normandy city worker want answers about how their father died cutting down a tree.
“He was such a great guy,” Sky Parker said. “He had lots of kid, but they were all loved equally by him. We loved him dearly.”
Sky sat with her sister Christina and brother Chris, three of Harold Parker’s nine children.
Sky said their dad “did what he needed to do to provide for his family. He showed up in the best way, and he would do what he needed to.”
Harold, 56, died Monday when a tree fell on him. He was trimming trees with three other workers from the Normandy Public Works Department.
One of the workers then knocked frantically on Sky’s door.
“He said he was cutting down a tree, the tree began to fall and instead of him—verbatim—instead of him running towards where others were running, instead of him running towards safety, he ran towards the tree and the way the tree was falling,” Sky said.
She said it doesn’t make sense because her dad was an experienced landscaper, who ran his own landscaping business for decades.
“I would just really love for more answers,” Sky said.
Normandy city officials are not saying much, except that all work is on hold indefinitely. FOX 2 checked with other area municipalities about their tree trimming policies and found most cities reported contracting with private companies for large tree removal or rotting and damaged trees that can be unpredictable. They cited “specialty training and supplies” as well as “insurance coverage.”
Normandy won’t answer about its decision to use public works to remove trees, which had recently been marked with red Xs.
The tree in question also fell on a park sign, which may be a clue that it did not fall in the direction workers wanted. Medical supplies still on the ground are in an area which would indicate Parker was not the one closest to the trunk.
FOX 2 has requested the police report, which, we’re told, is still underway.
“I just can’t process (it),” Sky said. “Like, he loved landscaping, so it’s crazy how something he loved to do was his demise.”
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Christina wanted desperately to add her memories but said she could not do it without crying.
She later wrote us: “My dad was everything to me, and it hurts so bad that this tragedy has taken away my father so soon. I’ve lived with my dad for 19 years, and within those years I’ve learned so much from him and about him. My dad was a hardworking man and tried his best when it came to providing for his household, my siblings, or anything my dad wanted to do he put his mind to and got it done. My dad was special, and he was truly loved by all his family and friends, may he rest in peace.”
Normandy Mayor Mark Beckmann said the city will conduct an internal investigation once they get past the shock of what happened. He said they are also in the process of contacting Missouri OSHA as part of that review.
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JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. – Two people are behind bars after a man reportedly attacked a Jefferson County deputy with a screwdriver during an attempted arrest over the weekend.
Prosecutors have charged Nicholas Davis, 47, and Amanda Davis, 45, of Dittmer, Missouri, with felonies in the investigation.
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The alleged attack followed a traffic stop of a driver in the 9500 block of Jones Creek Road on July 7, though the driver was not Nicholas or Amanda.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Nicholas reportedly came out of his nearby home, yelled at a deputy and started approaching him while holding a screwdriver. The deputy initially ordered Nicholas to back away, then used pepper spray.
Per court documents, the deputy attempted to arrest Nicholas, who then struck him in the chest with the screwdriver. Amanda reportedly approached the deputy and pulled him away from Nicholas before both ran inside their home.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office says the situation prompted an hours-long standoff involving negotiators, a SWAT team and a K-9 deputy. The situation led to Nicholas refusing warnings and being bitten by a K-9.
Nicholas and Amanda are both jailed in the Jefferson County Jail without bond. Nicholas is charged with first-degree assault on a special victim and armed criminal action. Amanda is charged with resisting/interfering with arrest.
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ST. LOUIS — The new St. Louis schools superintendent will be officially sworn into office today. Dr. Keisha Scarlett took over the job in July after the retirement of Dr. Kelvin Adams. She was assistant superintendent in the Seattle Public School District. The installation ceremony is at 6:15 p.m. before the regular school board meeting.
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ST. LOUIS — A gasoline tanker truck crashed into a Metro transit center near Riverview and Hall Streets early Tuesday morning and knocked over a power pole. The pole is leaning on other power lines. Police have the area blocked off here because there is a downed power line. Ameren and Metro crews are also on the scene.
The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. It’s still unclear exactly what caused the crash, but we do that there was a second vehicle somehow involved. The airbags on that second vehicle did deploy.
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Police at the scene have not been able to give us a lot of details. Metro officials tell FOX 2 that the transit center here is operating this morning for passengers and buses. Access to certain areas will be limited here as clean up unfolds.
A Metro spokesperson says half of the station isn’t being used right now because of safety issues. It isn’t impacting overall bus operations, everything is just happening on the other side of transit center.
The extent of the damage to the actual transit center is still unclear, but I’m told it does not appear to be extreme. A Metro spokesperson tells me there were no injuries to any metro workers or passengers. The tanker driver also was not injured.
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