ATLANTA — A Buckhead driver died early Monday after slamming into a tree brought down by the morning's gusty wind and saturated soil.
The incident happened in the 3400 block of Woodhaven Road, just off West Paces Ferry Road behind the Governor's Mansion.
"The occupant in the vehicle is deceased at this time," Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said.
A man who lives nearby heard the tree fall, about 5:45 a.m. He said it sounded like a big boom.
Then, as he was leaving his home he found the crashed SUV and ran to get help.
“It was totally dark when I was there, totally dark,” said neighbor Brad Hammond.
Hammond says he couldn't see much, with all the street lights out on Woodhaven Road but he saw enough to know he needed help from his neighbor, a doctor.
“He went up across the tree, was able to find an arm of the occupant, checked the pulse and there was no pulse,” Hammond said.
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man as Marion Webb, 81.
“Looks like he was coming down the street and he crashed into the tree, that was already down over the street,” said Atlanta Fire Department spokesperson Cortez Stafford.
Channel 2's Sophia Choi was at the scene says the neighborhood is notorious for big trees falling.
https://twitter.com/SophiaWSB/status/663714753769025536
The tree was one of many felled across metro Atlanta by the combination of 20 mph wind gusts and ground that was saturated by over an inch of weekend rain.
Other trees were reported down around daybreak Monday on Tilden Road, Peyton Road and Beechwood Drive in Atlanta, on Lower Roswell Road near Lindsay Road and on Whitlock Avenue near John Ward Road in Cobb County, on Johnson Road at Suwanee Dam Road and on Hood Road near Cedars Road in Gwinnett County and on Drew Valley Road at Nesbitt Drive, Brandon Mill Road at Dalrymple Road and Grapevine Run near Dunwoody Club Drive in Fulton County.
Georgia Power officials reported thousands of power outages in metro Atlanta.
The family of Webb provided Channel 2 details of his funeral arrangements:
Donald Trimble Mortuary, Inc.
876 2nd Avenue, Decatur Ga. 30032
Viewing of the body will be Thursday at 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. and memorial service will be Friday 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.