Tree crushes two people driving in storm in ‘freak accident,’ Washington officials say

A tree fell on top of a car and crushed the people inside, Washington officials said.

Two people died Sunday after a large tree crushed their car, the King County Sheriff’s Office told The Seattle Times.

The King County Medical Examiner identified the two people as Camille Martlin, 59, and her son Max Martlin, 22, according to the Associated Press.

“It was truly a collision of inches and that it would take a mother and son is tragic,” King County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Meyer told the AP. “For that tree to hit at that moment is truly a freak incident.”

The pair was driving a white sedan through a winding road near Issaquah when the tree toppled over, the news outlet reported.

Officials found two pumpkins in the trunk of the car in a “heartbreaking scene,” KING 5 reported.

“I see two pumpkins in the back that need carving, and my heart goes out to the families,” a spokesman told KING 5.

The King County Sheriff’s Office is now investigating the incident, according to Eastside Fire & Rescue.

A “bomb cyclone” storm with some of the strongest winds of the season was blowing through the region at the time. It’s considered the South Pacific’s version of a hurricane, The News Tribune reported.

Thousands of people lost power after the storm knocked down power lines and trees, KIRO 7 reported. Some places in the area had gusts of wind hit over 60 miles per hour.

This story was originally published October 25, 2021 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Tree crushes two people driving in storm in ‘freak accident,’ Washington officials say."