Tree Falls on Car During High Winds

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GASTON COUNTY, N.C. -- State troopers said an elderly woman was killed after the strong winds caused a tree to fall on top of her car Monday afternoon.

Investigators said it appears the 72 year-old woman was driving a white Cadillac down Lower Dallas Road in Gastonia when a tree, weighing about a ton, toppled over in the strong wind. The woman died at the scene.

Sherman Branch pastors a church just down the road. He approached the scene moments after the accident.

“I looked back up the road and saw a car and heard a horn and saw a tree lying across the road,” he said.

State troopers said it appears the woman was driving the 45 mph speed limit when the tree landed on top of her car. The momentum of the car caused the tree to roll off. Both the Cadillac and the tree came to rest on the side of the road. A second smaller tree then fell, blocking the highway.

Troopers said the strong winds and soggy ground created a deadly combination, causing the tree to fall.

Bystander Josh Haas said the accident left him in disbelief.

“You never know,” Haas said, “When the Lord wants you, he wants you.”

One investigator on the scene told Eyewitness News that it took less than a second for the tree to fall to the ground, leaving the woman behind the wheel no time to react.

Authorities have not released the identity of the victim. They also would not say where she lived.

From WSOC

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