(La Porte County, IN) - A 37-year old La Porte woman was severely injured when a large tree fell on the sport utility vehicle she was driving.

 

This happened just before 8 a.m. Monday on Fail Road just north of the La Porte city limits.

 

 

 

 

La Porte County Police said the woman was northbound when the tree along the west side of the road apparently was uprooted from winds measured by the National Weather Service at nearly 20 miles per hour at the time.

 

Among the emergency responders was Kankakee Township Volunteer Fire Department Capt. Zach Rosiuk, who said the tree landed on the hood of her 2012 GMC Acadia and blocked both lanes of travel.

 

He said the roof was also partially smashed in on the passenger side by the tree, which was lifted off the vehicle by a tow truck equipped with a boom. 

 

Rosuik said emergency responders were then able to safely cut into the vehicle and free the woman from the wreckage without fear of the tree causing further damage and injury to the vehicle and patient.

 

“If there’s any sudden movements, the tree could further crush or hurt someone on the scene like a firefighter or police officer,” he said.

 

The woman was loaded into a medical helicopter that landed in a nearby field and flown to an undisclosed hospital in the area for advanced treatment.  Police did not release the name of the woman.  Her injuries were described by police as severe but no further light was shed on her condition.

 

Rosiuk said the heavily damaged vehicle was pulled out from underneath the tree, which was then lowered to the ground and cut into pieces by crews with the La Porte County Highway Department.

 

La Porte County Commissioner Steve Holfield said he was notified right away by the highway department about the accident.

 

“My prayers and wishes go out to her and her family that she recovers well,” he said.

 

Holifield, a farmer from the Mill Creek area, said the ground may have been softened enough from a wet spring to allow the winds to uproot the tree.

 

“It’s just unfortunate this lady was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

 

Badayah Brazelton said he felt fortunate the tree didn’t fall on him because he drives that stretch of Fail Road practically every morning about that time on his way home to Michigan City from La Porte.  He was running about five minutes behind his normal schedule when he pulled up close to the vehicle with the tree on top of it.

 

“I was praying for the people that it happened to,” he said.