Woman, 87, dies after car crashes into fallen tree left in road for 90 minutes
An 87-year-old woman has died after the car she was driving crashed into a fallen tree during Storm Henk chaos[1]. The woman, who has not been named, was in a red Smart Forfour when she collided with the tree on the B4526 near Crays Pond, Oxfordshire at around 5.25pm on Tuesday. Thames Valley Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC)[2] as the fallen tree at that location was one of a number of similar reports received about an hour and a half before the collision.
The woman's next of kin are aware and are being supported by specially trained officers. No arrests have been made. Sergeant Dominic Mahon, of the serious collision investigation unit, said: "Sadly, a woman has died following this collision and our thoughts are with her loved ones.
"We would like to appeal for anyone that witnessed the collision, or saw the car prior to it, to contact us. "We would also ask any drivers with a dash-camera who were in the area at the time to check their recordings and let us know if it has captured anything that could help our investigation." It follows the death of a man in his fifties after a tree fell on his car in Gloucestershire on Tuesday
In Orpington, south-east London, a woman was airlifted to hospital suffering severe but "not life-threatening" injuries after she was struck by a tree. In the latest storm chaos, a major incident has been declared in Nottinghamshire after the River Trent burst its banks and flooded a village[3] on Thursday.
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Firefighters[4] helped residents leave their homes in Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire[5], after homes became encircled with water following heavy rainfall. Nottinghamshire County Council warned residents to be prepared for flooding as forecasts showed river levels could come "close to the highest levels on record" in the aftermath of Storm Henk.
In a statement, the council said: "Key tributaries which feed in to the river Trent, including the river Derwent, the river Soar and the river Dove, have already reached their peaks and high water levels will now pass down the Trent, which is likely to lead to the flooding to properties and roads. "Residents who live in the flood risk areas are being asked to ensure they have preparations in place in case they are asked to evacuate. "Councils, emergency services and the Environment Agency have been providing emergency support to communities impacted and will continue to provide support across the county."
Issuing a flood alert for the Trent, the Government said: "River levels are high and rising at the Colwick river gauge as a result of heavy rainfall.
"Areas most at risk are low-lying agricultural land and roads including communities near to the River Trent."
References
- ^ Storm Henk chaos (inews.co.uk)
- ^ Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) (inews.co.uk)
- ^ flooded a village (inews.co.uk)
- ^ Firefighters (inews.co.uk)
- ^ Nottinghamshire (inews.co.uk)