12-day-old baby dies after falling avocado strikes head in Argentina

A 12-day-old newborn died in Argentina after an avocado fell from a tree and struck the infant's head. The mother said she plans to take legal action against authorities amid a dispute over who bears responsibility for the accident.

According to Argentine dailies Clarín and La Nación, the incident occurred Thursday in Quilmes, Buenos Aires province, on a roadside across from a kindergarten in the town center.

The baby's mother, Juliana Gomez, had just dropped off her five-year-old at the kindergarten and was walking home with the newborn in her arms when an avocado fell from a tree roughly 10 meters tall and struck the infant on the head.

The baby showed no visible external trauma such as bleeding but began crying intensely, prompting the family to rush the infant to a nearby hospital.

Examinations revealed fractures in multiple areas of the skull and internal bleeding in the head. The baby was declared brain-dead and died three days after the accident.

The family said residents and the kindergarten had previously requested that the tree be pruned or removed, but the city government failed to take appropriate action.

Records confirmed that the kindergarten had filed a formal complaint with the city in August 2025 requesting the tree's removal. Some residents said city workers carried out pruning at the scene after the accident.

Authorities, however, said the tree had been in good condition and that the incident was a natural fall of the avocado fruit — not a branch — from the tree.

The No. 9 specialized prosecutor's office in Quilmes is investigating the exact circumstances of the death and examining potential charges of negligent homicide.

Gomez said the city government had failed to take adequate preventive measures and that she would pursue legal action against the authorities.