Tree Falls on Car in Los Gatos
Woman and 2 boys are "very lucky"
By Alastair Dallas 02/11/08
The large tree swallowed the Pontiac GTO
A large tree fell on a car on Lark Ave. Monday evening about 6:30, pinning the car and pulling down overhead wires, but the woman and two small boys in the car escaped serious injury. The car, a late-model black Pontiac GTO coupe, was engulfed by the tree limbs and needles as police and other Town of Los Gatos personnel waited for PG&E crews to deal with power lines damaged in the incident.
The Monday evening commute meant that eastbound Lark Ave. between Winchester and Oka Rd. was crowded with vehicles. After three or four nearly spring-like days, Los Gatans were happy to forget the wet, windy weather of just a week ago. But, apparently, the ground around the roots of a large tree on the south side of Lark, behind homes on La Cienega Ct., was saturated. The bushy tree had had enough shaking from the high winds. Although Monday was clear and calm, the tree fell.
Stuck in traffic at the Oka Rd. light, the woman driving the GTO saw the tree angle toward her--and couldn't move. Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Sgt. Layne Davis said that she and the boys were "very lucky."
Town staff, including Parks and Public Works Director Kevin Rohani and Street Superintendent Steve Regan, arrived quickly with the town's skip loader to clear the tree. Comcast employees arrived to check their lines, and a PG&E crew was reported en route to the scene at 7:30.
