'Accident waiting to happen': Concerns raised after tree crashes onto moving vehicles, kills one in Vancouver

A tree came toppling onto traffic during Tuesday’s afternoon rush hour commute, raising safety concerns about the trees along Marine Way in south Vancouver.

A tree came toppling onto traffic during Tuesday’s afternoon rush hour commute, raising safety concerns about the trees along Marine Way in south Vancouver. 

The tree fell on top of a car, crushing and killing the driver. It also damaged a minivan, which was directly behind the car, and the two people inside were not hurt.

Michelle Mollineaux, who’s lived in the area for 25 years, said it did not come as a surprise that a tree fell onto the road in that location.

“We knew that this was an accident waiting to happen because of the poor maintenance of the trees. They're too old and it's very overgrown,” she said. “A life’s lost and that could have been prevented, there’s no excuse.”

She has seen other toppled trees in the area, not on roads, but over walkways.

“Falling right across pathways where people could have easily gotten killed,” she said.

An arborist confirmed the trees that fell on the pathway and the one that fell on the road are the same species: cottonwoods.