A 61-year-old Massachusetts woman was killed in a freak accident after a powerful gust of wind snapped a tree and sent it crashing down on her as she sat outside on her back porch.
Police and firefighters rushed to a home on Sullivan Avenue in Plymouth at around 1:10 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, after receiving a report of a fallen tree with a woman possibly trapped underneath it.
When emergency crews arrived, they found the woman with help from neighbors and immediately began performing life-saving measures, according to a joint statement from the Plymouth police and fire departments.
The victim was rushed to a nearby hospital with severe, life-threatening injuries. She was later pronounced dead.
Authorities have not publicly released her name while officials work to confirm her identity and notify her family.
A preliminary investigation found that the woman had been sitting outside on the porch when a large gust of wind caused the tree to snap and collapse onto both the home and the victim.
A neighbor told CBS affiliate WBZ that the woman had gone outside with another neighbor during a break in the heavy rain so they could let their dogs out.
“So, they both went out onto their back porch to let their animals out during the downpours,” the witness said.
The neighbor then heard a terrifying sound moments before the tree came crashing down.
“The neighbor heard this loud crack, and he looked over and a tree had fallen from State Road right onto her,” the witness said.
The Plymouth Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office are investigating the fatal incident.
