Realtor killed by falling tree during severe storm, Georgia police say. ‘One of a kind’
A man was hit and killed by a falling tree as storms pummeled the Atlanta area, police said.
Officers responded at about 6:15 p.m. Sunday, June 25, to a report of someone struck by a tree in Atlanta’s Buckhead community, according to the city’s police department.
There they found a 55-year-old critically hurt, authorities said. He was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
The medical examiner’s office identified him as prominent Atlanta realtor George Heery Jr., WSB-TV reported. Heery lived nearby and was out for a walk when the tree came down on him, according to the station.
Severe thunderstorms rolled through Sunday afternoon, toppling trees and power lines across north Georgia and the Atlanta area, Fulton County’s Emergency Management Agency said.
According to his Facebook page, Heery was a real estate agent with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty, where he worked alongside his brother and business partner.
His family’s architecture firm, Turner & Townsend Heery, has strong ties to Atlanta and had a hand in designing some of the city’s most notable venues, including the Atlanta History Center.
The company also managed the construction of major arenas such as the now-demolished Georgia Dome, as well as projects at Morehouse, Spelman College and Georgia Tech, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
“I’m so sad,” a friend said in a Facebook tribute. “George Heery you were truly one of a kind. And it sounds so trite, but there really wasn’t a nicer human on earth.”
His son, Liam, remembered his father as “an incredible man.”
“I love you dad,” he wrote on Facebook. “The world will not be the same without you.
McClatchy News reached out to Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty for comment on June 26 and was awaiting a response.
Thousands remained without power as of Monday afternoon as crews worked to restore service to affected communities.
“Our teams have been working overnight and are in the field this morning working to repair damage and restore power following the recent severe weather across the state yesterday and we’ve restored power to over 200,000 customers so far,” Georgia Power said in a statement.
This story was originally published June 26, 2023 at 10:44 AM with the headline "Realtor killed by falling tree during severe storm, Georgia police say. ‘One of a kind’."