A towering eucalyptus tree came crashing down onto a minivan in Santa Clarita on Friday, leaving the driver injured but alive after a terrifying encounter with powerful winds.
The tree fell onto the vehicle as it traveled along McBean Parkway, north of Magic Mountain Parkway, at approximately 12:40 p.m., authorities and witnesses reported.
The woman was driving north when the incident happened. She survived the impact but suffered injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment.
“We heard it too—it was like a loud crack,” one witness told a journalist at the scene. “It fell, and even from 100 to 150 feet away, the concrete rumbled. We felt it.”
“Everybody started scattering when we heard and felt it, and this lady was inside her car,” the witness said. “Thankfully, she wasn’t in the right lane. If she had been, she would’ve been toast.”
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Los Angeles County Fire Department crews and Santa Clarita officials responded to the scene, while the northbound lanes of McBean Parkway were shut down, according to The Signal.
Emergency crews used chainsaws to cut the fallen tree into sections and clear the debris from the roadway.
The massive tree briefly blocked every lane of traffic along the road.
The crash occurred as forecasts called for wind gusts reaching up to 70 mph across the region on Friday.
