Mother-of-three fashion editor breaks her NECK while saving her young children from a falling tree in New York's Central Park and is left in critical condition
- Anne Monoky Goldman, 39, had her infant strapped to her, and her two toddlers in a stroller when she was out for a walk in Central Park Tuesday morning
- A massive elm tree crashed down on the family around 10am
- Goldman, a fashion editor, shielded her sons from the tree and its branches
- She fractured her neck and her two-year-old son broke his skull
- Her one-year-old and four-year-old were treated at the hospital and released
- Witnesses say they heard her screaming for her baby when she came to
A Manhattan mother has been hailed a hero after she broke her neck while shielding her three children from a falling tree in Central Park.
Anne Monoky Goldman, 39, bravely threw herself over her baby and two toddler boys when the giant elm toppled on top of them at around 10am on Tuesday.
Goldman, an editor for fashion brand Tory Burch, was strolling through the park on an otherwise balmy morning in New York, with her one-year-old, James, strapped to her chest, while her two-year-old Grant and his four-year-old brother, Will, were in a double stroller.
From left to right: Anne Monoky Goldman, holding son James, one, Grant, two, being held by husband Curt Goldman, and four-year-old son Will. The mother has been hailed a hero after saving her children from a falling tree in Central Park
Good Samaritans rushed to the scene to help pull the mother and her three children out from under the branches
The massive elm came toppling down on the family at around 10am Tuesday. Emergency services surround the fallen tree
The family was walking along West Drive near West 62nd St when witnesses say they heard the terrifying noise of the tree fall.
Jamie Brown, 42, of Virginia told the New York Post: 'You heard the tree fall... then you hear a baby scream.'
'They could have all been killed,' a witness said of Goldman's motherly instincts to shield her children from the enormous elm.
Antonio Russo of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, told the New York Times, he was riding his bicycle when he saw the tree begin to fall. When the frightened mother came to, she started screaming.
Anne Monoky Goldman (center) at the Jewelry Information Center's Gem Awards, at Cipriani 42nd Street in 2009
Crews clear the fallen tree Tuesday afternoon in New York's Central Park
A wood chipper was on scene Tuesday removing the massive elm that fell across the road in Central Park
The enormous trunk of the tree, ripped from the roots when it crashed down Tuesday morning
'She came to, and started crying and going crazy, and was yelling for the baby' said Russo.
Within mere moments good Samaritans rushed to help Goldman and her children.
Russo added to the Times: 'They were breaking the tree limbs off her,' he said. 'New Yorkers are great, man.'
A spokesman for the FDNY said the mother hit her head trying to protect her children from the falling branches.
She was taken to New York-Presbyterian with a fractured neck.
Her brother in-law Ryan Goldman speaking to the Post: 'She's still going through a lot of treatment, she's getting a CAT scan and MRIs.'
Left: Anne Monoky, along with Mellisa Feldman attending Elle Decor Party in 2008
Right to left: Anne Monoky, Sam Broekema and Kate Davidson Hudson attend a luncheon hosted by Chopard in 2012
Her son Grant cracked his skull, but his two brothers were released from the hospital by Tuesday afternoon.
'Nothing is more important to her than her kids. No question that when her sons recover from this, she, too, will get better. But for the moment, she is struggling,' her brother in-law added to the Post.
Anne and husband Curt Goldman married in 2013, and have the three boys together.
While Anne is a fashion editor, Curt, along with his brothers Ryan, and Scott Goldman, run a French spirits company, Cadir Noir Imports.
Winds were mild on Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Services, blowing a mere 0 to 3mph when the tree toppled.
A spokesman for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation said they are investigating why the tree crashed down.
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