Falling tree kills driver on highway as severe weather rips through Southeast, cops say
UPDATE: The driver killed in the crash was identified by the Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office as 78-year-old Herbert Lee Williams, multiple local outlets reported. Williams worked at a stereo shop in Jonesboro and was likely driving to the store when the tree hit his car, the man’s son told Atlanta News First.
The original story is below.
A severe winter storm has proven to be a danger to many along the East Cost, including a Georgia driver who was killed by a falling tree, police said.
Officers arrived Tuesday morning, Jan. 9, to the scene of a car crash on Highway 54 in Jonesboro, about 15 miles south of Atlanta, according to a Clayton County Police Department news release.
A tree was sprawled out on top of a white sedan’s windshield, according to police. The driver inside, the vehicle’s sole occupant, was pronounced dead, according to the department.
The car was hit by the tree while it was driving along the road, police said.
There was no further information on the identity of the driver as of Jan. 9. The crash is under investigation by the Clayton County Police Department.
What to know about storm crossing East Coast
A line of “widespread and fast-moving” severe storms is making its way through the Southeast on Tuesday, where it is expected to continue crossing into the Northeast, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. The wave of storms — expected to bring major flooding and dangerous wind speeds — comes a few days after parts of the Northeast were inundated with snow from a separate storm, according to AccuWeather.
The throng of storms is part of the larger weather system, Winter Storm Finn, The Weather Channel reported.
About 70 million people across the Gulf Coast and Southeast were put at risk of severe weather events due to the massive winter storm, CNN reported.
Three people have been reported dead as of Jan. 9, ABC News reported, and multiple tornadoes have touched down across the Southeast.
A large stretch of the Southeast is covered with tornado watches until 6 p.m., including most of Florida and South Carolina, southeast Georgia and central North Carolina, the Storm Prediction Center said.
Weather conditions are expected to improve Wednesday, Jan. 10, as the storm moves off land, but rain may linger, the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said.
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