Falling Trees and Car Crashes Lead to Five Deaths, Four Injuries In Sonoma County

"A man was killed Sunday on the 800 block of Howard Street in Santa Rosa when a tree or large tree branch reportedly crashed down on him, per KTVU. The man was hospitalized with injuries and later died, according to the Santa Rosa Fire Department. Separately, a 23-year-old woman was seriously injured by a falling tree branch on the 300 block of Steele Lane in Santa Rosa on Sunday. The Chronicle reports that she was hospitalized and remains there."

"Fallen trees were reportedly elsewhere around the Bay, including in Livermore, where KTVU reports that at least two homes were damaged. Winds were reportedly gusting up to 40 miles per hour and higher in some spots in the North Bay, and the National Weather Service notes one 86-mile-per-hour gust in the Santa Cruz Mountains overnight. Cal Fire was battling multple small fires around the Bay amid the windy conditions, including a 3-acre blaze in Napa County, as ABC 7 reports, as well as a vegetation fire along the Altamont Pass that grew to 80 acres on Sunday."

"Possibly unrelated to the windy conditions, Sonoma County saw several fatal vehicle crashes on Saturday, as KRON4 reports. These included a solo vehicle crash around 4:14 pm Saturday on Highway 101 in Santa Rosa, in which a Mercedes being driven by an elderly man veered off the highway and struck a tree, killing him and fatally injuring his wife, who was a passenger. She later died from her injuries at the hospital."

"An earlier crash on Highway 1 near Salt Point State Park, which occurred around 1:50 pm, involved a Nissan Rogue that hit a tree after the driver lost cont"

Strong winds across Sonoma County and the Bay Area caused many downed trees and branches. A Santa Rosa man died after a tree or large branch fell on him on the 800 block of Howard Street, and he later died from injuries. A 23-year-old woman in Santa Rosa was seriously injured when a tree branch fell on the 300 block of Steele Lane and remained hospitalized. Downed trees also damaged homes in Livermore. Winds gusted up to about 40 miles per hour in some areas, with an 86-mile-per-hour gust reported in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Cal Fire responded to multiple small fires, including a 3-acre fire in Napa County and an 80-acre vegetation fire along the Altamont Pass. Sonoma County also experienced fatal vehicle crashes that may not have been weather-related.

Read at sfist.com