ST. LOUIS — A woman in St. Louis waiting out an intense storm in her car died after a large walnut tree fell onto her vehicle, crushing it.
The 33-year-old woman, who was not identified, was parked in a small lot near an alley, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. The tree was in the backyard of a historic home near The Grove entertainment district, according to the newspaper.
The incident occurred at about 5:30 p.m. CDT, 90 minutes after severe rains and heavy winds buffeted the St. Louis area, KMOV-TV reported.
The neighbor at my shop was waiting out the storm in her car when this tree fell. Another neighbor saw and attempted to call 911 for over 30 minutes. She was alive and responsive. By the time someone got through and the fire department arrived she still had a pulse, but pic.twitter.com/ucRx0hX05Z
— Helen Petty (@helendpetty) July 1, 2023
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the television station.
Helen Petty, who owns a hair salon that shares the alleyway, tweeted that people had tried to call 911 for help multiple times, but got busy signals or no response for at least 30 minutes, the Post-Dispatch reported.
Firefighters arrived shortly after the tree crashed and began working to remove the debris in order to free the woman, KMOV reported.
“They had saws and cut off both the doors of the car,” Petty told the television station. “They were cutting giant huge tree limbs off. Hoisting them with ropes and pulleys.”
Petty said a man in a vehicle next to the victim also suffered damage from the same tree but was able to exit his car safely, KMOV reported.
“He went over to her, as did the owner of the Mexican restaurant down the street,” Petty told the television station. “He came running over and spoke to her. She was responsive. She was alive and started calling 911 and couldn’t get through.”
In a statement to KSDK-TV, the city’s Department of Public Safety said it was investigating the incident.
“Today’s severe storms created a large volume of 911 calls to police and fire dispatch,” the department said. “The Department of Public Safety is aware of the social media posts in question and is investigating the circumstances that led up to this incident.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said her office is looking into the situation, but declined to immediately comment further, the Post-Dispatch reported.
