78-year-old man dead after tree falls on top of car in Clayton County, police say

CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — One person is dead after officials say a tree fell on a car in Clayton County on Tuesday.

Clayton County police confirmed the accident happened on Highway 54 and Jenni Lane on Tuesday morning as heavy rain and storms moved through the area.

The Clayton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 78-year-old Herbert Lee Williams of Fayetteville, Ga.

Channel 2′s Tom Jones spoke with neighbors who were shocked by what happened and think the trees should be removed.

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“That is heartbreaking,” Ricky Hayes emotionally told Jones. “My heart goes out to the family.”

The area was hammered by heavy rains and intense winds all morning.

The man was driving eastbound when a gigantic tree fell as he was passing, crushing the car.

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Governor Brian Kemp commented on the deadly incident at an event in Gwinnett County on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s been a rough day, folks,” he said. “It was just reported that there was a loss of life in Clayton County from a tree falling, so I just want to keep all those folks in our thoughts and prayers and that family.”

Drivers say this incident concerns them.

“I travel this road quite often and there are a lot of trees here that are, they need to be cut back from the road,” one driver said.

A woman at the scene told Jones that the man who died was her father. She was obviously upset and said she did not have anything else to say.

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