1 driver killed after large tree falls onto car in Winnetka

A large tree damaged two vehicles and killed a driver in the San Fernando Valley on Friday afternoon. 

The tree fell onto a Nissan SUV in the left-most lane on 7350 N. Mason Avenue in Winnetka. 

"I couldn't believe what I was seeing, because that's a huge tree and it stopped that car in its tracks," neighbor Stan Holloway said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers had just passed the intersection minutes before the tree fell. A bystander flagged down their patrol car, pleading for help. 

The Los Angeles Fire Department could not immediately provide information about the driver. 

"The weight of the tree, I tried to push the tree up a little bit but there was no way," Officer Emanuel Barbu said. "It took seven or eight firemen to cut the trees off the doors off, cut the trees off, to get saws and equipment."

Other than the SUV driver, no other injuries were reported. In addition to LAFD, the LA Bureau of Street Services, Department of Transportation, the Los Angeles Police Department and LA County Medical Examiner responded to the scene. 

An arborist who lives nearby said a number of contributing factors, including the rain, could have led to the tree uprooting. 

"These trees really need to be inspected more often," arborist Miguel Lopez said. "We had strong winds earlier. We've had the rain the last couple of days, and they are all factors, including the dry rot."