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Who was Angela Lin? Google engineer killed in freak accident while hiking in Yosemite National Park
Angela Lin, a 29-year-old Google software engineer, died after a large tree branch fell on her during a Yosemite hike.
Angela Lin, a 29-year-old software engineer at Google, died on July 19 after a large tree branch suddenly broke off and struck her during a hike in Yosemite National Park. According to SF Gate, Lin was accompanied by her boyfriend, David Hua, in the Tuolumne Grove area that afternoon when the incident took place.
Hua told the outlet that it all happened without warning. “It was just unimaginable that something like this could occur on such a popular trail, too,” he said. He described how multiple branches had fallen, with one of them - a large one - hitting Lin.
She suffered a serious head injury and collapsed. Hua said he tried performing CPR until a park ranger arrived, but by the time emergency responders got to the scene, it was too late. Lin died before she could be taken to a hospital.
An individual who claimed to have been nearby shared their account on Reddit, writing, “I am a tourist, but was on the scene of an extremely tragic freak accident in the area trying to provide aid, and it has been haunting me.”
Who was Angela Lin?
According to her LinkedIn profile, Angela Lin had been working as a software engineer at Google since April 2022. Before that, she held senior engineering roles at Salesforce, where she focused on ethical AI-reducing bias in language models and improving user experiences through machine learning.
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Her tech career began in earnest at The University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a master’s in computer science. She briefly pursued a PhD there before leaving in 2019.
Lin also interned at Microsoft and worked on AI-driven video alignment tools. Her resume includes time at UC Berkeley as a research assistant, and her academic and professional path reflects a deep commitment to innovation and inclusion in tech.
Unanswered questions
Lin’s family has asked for privacy, but her boyfriend is pressing for clarity. Hua said he is frustrated by lack of communication from park officials. “We are seeking more information from the park service regarding this incident,” he said, urging better safety checks on trails.
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Google issued a brief statement to The Independent: “We lost a loved and respected member of our team. We’re very saddened by this tragedy, and our hearts are with their family and loved ones.”
FAQs:
1. Who was Angela Lin?
She was a Google software engineer and AI researcher with a background in machine learning and ethics in tech.
2. Where did the accident happen?
It happened in Yosemite National Park's Tuolumne Grove.
3. Has the park service released any findings?
No detailed information has been shared publicly yet.
