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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Saturday, March 19, 2005

Manoa girl's condition improves slightly

Advertiser Staff

The medical condition of Julia Engle improved slightly yesterday, according to her family's attorney.

Julia Engle

Julia, 12, has been in a coma since a Norfolk Island pine crashed through her second-story bedroom wall in Manoa on Tuesday.

The seventh-grader at Punahou Middle School has been in extremely critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center, but the swelling in her face has improved and she seems somewhat responsive to light, said attorney Rick Fried.

Fried said Julia's condition remains guarded and she is still unconscious. She has a lung infection that is being treated with antibiotics, but has not had lung surgery, he said.

The city-owned tree, which was inspected for disease and stability in November, fell through her bedroom about 4:50 a.m. in the 2300 block of Beckwith Street, causing head injuries, according to police.

Fried said the tree measured about 36 inches in diameter at its breaking point. About 25 to 28 inches of that was eaten away by termites, he said.