Kansas woman killed by large tree falling on house
A 68-year-old woman was killed Tuesday morning when a large tree fell and crashed through her home in Leavenworth, Kansas, according to authorities.
The victim was identified as Carolyn Hart. She was killed when she was struck by the tree that fell on the house over the living room.
Police received a call about the tree falling on the home about 8:30 a.m. in the 900 block of Madison Street in Leavenworth, said Deputy Police Chief Dan Nicodemus.
When officers arrived, they were met by a resident who said the woman remained inside and was not accounted for. Officers entered the house and found the woman’s body.
Authorities said the woman had been outside, returned inside to the living room and shortly thereafter, the tree collapsed.
No one else was injured. The tree caused extensive damage to the house, leaving the living room exposed and part of the shingle roof mangled. A neighboring residence was also damaged. Crews worked for more than seven hours to remove the tree and recover the body.
It looked like saturated soil from recent rains caused the tree to be uprooted and fall over, Nicodemus said.
“The tree looked healthy,” said Nicodemus, who added that he does not have professional expertise in that area. “It had plenty of foliage.”
The relationship between the victim and the other resident was not immediately known. They both lived in the house, Nicodemus said.
“It’s an unfortunate tragedy,” Nicodemus said.
This story was originally published May 28, 2019 at 3:01 PM with the headline "Kansas woman killed by large tree falling on house."
