PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A woman was killed when a large tree fell on top of her car and crushed her inside, as fierce winds blew across the region Sunday evening.
Police identified her as Elizabeth Taylor, 65, from Philadelphia. It happened around 6:15 p.m. in Northeast Philly’s Crescentville neighborhood, on West Hill Creek Avenue.
The tree landed across the car’s roof.
“Upon arrival, officers discovered a vehicle that had been crushed by a large tree, and medics subsequently pronounced the driver of that vehicle deceased,” said Police Inspector D.F. Pace. “Nothing short of a terrible and tragic accident.”
The wind also toppled another tree in the neighborhood, taking power lines with it.
About an hour before the crash, wind gusts in the Northeast were measured at 63 mph.
Tens of thousands of homes across the region experienced power outages, and Philadelphia International Airport is still impacted. There were 114 cancelations and 331 delays on Sunday and, for a brief period, a ground stop was in effect. As of 6:30 a.m. on Monday, 45 flights were canceled and 34 were delayed. There were also downed trees, limbs and wires along the rail line, which caused service disruptions.
SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch says riders can check for any delays in their transit plans at SEPTA.org or in the SEPTA app.