On a clear, windless Thursday, the last thing senior theater major Liz Reaves expected walking to class was being wounded by a fallen tree limb.

However, on April 6, as Reaves was walking and listening to music on the way to her 9:25 a.m. class, she was struck by a limb while passing under a tree near McCastlain Hall.

Reaves said that the limb that wounded her was over five feet long and two inches thick, but did not render her unconscious.

Because nobody was around her at the scene, Reaves said that she walked herself to Bernard from the far end of McCastlain.

A bystander who was walking out of Bernard Hall at the time helped the bleeding Reaves into the building and urged the help desk staff to call UCAPD.

Officer Billy Colvin arrived at the scene shortly after, where he assessed Reaves’ several puncture wounds and asked her basic memory questions.

Reaves said, “I was lucky and actually wasn’t affected too horribly. I was bleeding a lot, but I wasn’t rendered unconscious and was able to walk and think straight.”

When given the option, Reaves said she chose to be treated at the Student Health Center and go to the hospital if deemed necessary. 

Reaves said that Michelle Reinold, the program coordinator for UCA advising, stayed with her, helped to calm her down and accompanied her to the Student Health Center so she had someone to be with until her parents arrived.

Reaves said she received three stitches on her scalp from Dr. Randy Pastor and that she thought UCA staff handled the situation well.

“Everyone that helped out was very kind and helpful. I especially appreciate the staff in Bernard Hall who jumped in to help at a moment’s notice.”

Reaves said that one of her professors reached out to her by email to check on her and that Dean of Students Kelly Owens also reached out to her the following day to ask if there was anything she needed.

Reaves said that the only lasting effect she had from the incident was soreness from her stitches. 

She returned to the scene to retrieve the limb that struck her and brought it to one of her professors so it may be sanded down and turned into a walking stick to commemorate the ordeal.

While tree limb injuries are rare on UCA’s campus, Reaves is not the first to fall victim. 

Kevin Carter, associate vice president of facilities, said, “In 1987, there was a student that got killed by a limb in the front lawn of Irby. It was a bluebird day, no storms or anything so that’s something we watch very, very closely.”

Carter said the Physical Plant is always on alert, looking for dead limbs and diseased trees.

“If the tree shows signs of significant disease or damage, we have a tree service remove the tree and we plant the same or similar species in its place. If it is a tree of historical value, we may call in a professional arborist for an assessment before removing the tree,” Carter said.

UCA does not have a professional arborist on staff but Carter said that UCA’s ground manager and supervisor have decades of experience working with trees.

Carter said that the McCastlain tree showed no signs of damage or disease and that “even healthy trees of that size and age will drop limbs occasionally.”

Carter said a large oak tree had to be removed from an off-campus house because of damages it was causing to a neighboring house’s property, but added that the Physical Plant only receives calls about limb concerns a few times a year.

“We try to be as proactive as possible. We are always looking for warning signs and pruning or removing trees that pose a risk,” Carter said.