Pembroke woman killed when tree falls on her car in Tennessee storm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A woman from Massachusetts was killed in Tennessee when a storm knocked down a tree that landed on the car she was driving. 

A Tennessee Highway Patrol preliminary report says 22-year-old Laurel Flaherty of Pembroke died after the incident Wednesday in Franklin, Tennessee. 

Belmont University President Greg Jones says Flaherty was a first-year law student at the Nashville school after completing a bachelor's degree in social work there in May. 

"We are all devastated by today's news, and we have reached out to her family, faculty and classmates to offer our support and deepest condolences," Jones said. "In addition, support services and resources are being made available for our campus community." 

According to WTVF-TV in Nashville, Flaherty had just checked on her horse at a local stable before the storm hit.

"It's a loss for everybody because the girl was going to do wonderful things." Phyllis Cervelli, her horse trainer in Massachusetts, told the station. "She was a beautiful equestrian," Cervelli said.

The National Weather Service in Nashville said winds reached speeds of 75 mph in parts of Williamson County during the storms that crossed Middle Tennessee on Wednesday.