A female driver was killed on Thursday when a large eucalyptus tree fell on her car, killing her before police were able to respond.
The accident occurred at 2 p.m on Irvine Avenue at Westcliff Drive in Costa Mesa.
Driver Rocco Iati was behind the driver when he saw the tree falling. Rocco says he was “4 seconds away from the tree that fell.”
Rocco called police to tell them what he had witnessed and then proceeded to stay with the trapped female driver until police arrived.
A helicopter was sent in to airlift the passenger to the hospital but the female driver died before emergency air services arrived.
The victim’s identity has not been revealed and reflecting on the accident Rocco responded “I want to send my prayers out to the family.”
According to Newport Beach police spokeswoman Kathy Lowe, Newport Beach first responded to the accident and it was later determined that since the accident happened in Costa Mesa they will handle the final response.
Disclosure statement: Rocco Iati is my brother, information about his recollection of the accident was taken from his Facebook account.
