Two hospitalized after tree crashes on car in Wilmette
BY MICHAEL LANSU Staff Reporter/mlansu@suntimes.com November 23, 2012 5:22PM
Wilmette firefighters work to free the driver of a car that was hit by a falling tree due to high winds. | Photo by Tim Olk
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Updated: November 26, 2012 3:42PM
Two people were hospitalized when high winds sent a large tree crashing down on a vehicle Friday morning in north suburban Wilmette.
Emergency personnel responded at 10:55 a.m. to Wilmette Avenue and 16th Street and found a “very large tree” uprooted and on top of a passing car, according to the Wilmette Fire Department, which added that the tree was on private property.
Five of the six people in the vehicle, including some children, exited on their own, but firefighters needed hydraulic rescue tools to remove the motorist, the fire department said.
“The extrication was difficult in that the vehicle had to be taken apart carefully as to not dislodge the tree,” according to a statement from the fire department.
The driver and front seat passenger were taken to Evanston Hospital in “stable” condition, according to the fire department.
The tree caused about $20,000 damage, authorities said.
High winds are being blamed for the accident, the fire department said. The Wilmette Public Works Department cleared the roadway.
