16-year-old girl dead, man hospitalized after tree falls on car in Leon County

William L. Hatfield, Tallahassee Democrat
·2 min read
One person is dead and another was transported to the hospital after a tree fell on the vehicle during the storm in the area near Crump and Coach roads. LCSO was still on the scene at 6:15 p.m.
One person is dead and another was transported to the hospital after a tree fell on the vehicle during the storm in the area near Crump and Coach roads. LCSO was still on the scene at 6:15 p.m.

A teen is dead and a man hospitalized after high winds toppled a tree onto a vehicle in northeast Tallahassee.

The tragedy came as a particularly fierce round of severe weather rolled through the the capital city Friday afternoon near Coach and Crump roads. The region was under a marginal risk for severe weather with the possibility of 60 mph gusts.

"When deputies arrived, emergency crews had already extracted an adult, male driver from a vehicle and transported him to a local hospital," an LCSO spokesperson wrote in an evening update. "The passenger, a 16-year-old female, was pronounced deceased on the scene."

LCSO says the vehicle was driving north on Crump Road "when multiple trees in the area fell onto the vehicle and roadway."

The roadway will remain closed until crews can continue to clear the trees and repair utilities.

Kelly Godsey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, said the storm system packed a one-two punch. The first wave of storms between 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. brought reports of hail with heavy lightning in North Tallahassee.

The second line of storms pushed what forecasters believe were dangerous "straight-line winds" through northeast Tallahassee between 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.

"It brought down a lot of trees and even the possibility of a tornado in Jefferson County that we'll investigate tomorrow," he said.

At one point, fallen trees blocked all the lanes on eastbound I-10 at mile marker 217.

Godsey said it's important to note that even marginal risks can create dangerous situations. "The ingredients that we look for with severe storms are present," he said, but the potential may not be widespread.

Another round of severe weather is in the forecast on Sunday. Under a "slight risk" for the area, the main threats will be damaging winds, a couple brief tornadoes, and hail.

"This is really kind of our peak severe weather season into Mid-February to the first part of April," he said. "We do have to watch these systems carefully."

Storms make roads impassible

At 4 p.m. the sheriff's office reported that "several areas in the eastern part of Leon County impacted by severe weather and hazardous road conditions," asking that motorists avoid the following areas until further notice.

  • Miccosukee Rd/Argyle Lane

  • Wadesboro Rd/Baum Rd.

  • Crump Rd/Miccosukee Rd.

  • Crump Rd/Rifle Ave.

  • Buck Lake Rd/Baum Rd.

  • Roberts Rd/Pickwick Rd.

This is a developing story, check back for more details.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Teen dead, 1 hurt after severe weather topples tree on car in Tallahassee