SUFFOLK, Va. — Suffolk Fire & Rescue said two people had minor injuries around 5 p.m. Thursday when a large tree fell on a moving vehicle.
The fallen tree initially blocked all traffic on Route 58 West at Rt. 460 exit (Pruden Blvd.), according to a social media post by the fire department.
The incident was included in a 6:30 p.m. tropical storm wind damage report by the National Weather Service for the Kings Fork area of Suffolk.
The report said large trees were reported down on Pruden Blvd., and a few trees had fallen onto power lines to the south in the Corapeake, North Carolina area.
“No one expects for a tree, a large tree, to cover the entire, in this case, almost an interstate highway, a state road, and just stop your travel that quick," said the City of Suffolk Fire & Rescue Chief Michael Barakey.
The tree blocked two lanes of traffic at the height of rush hour. Commuter Rafael Soriano was among the many sitting in traffic. “We were driving about one mile to two miles an hour til we finally got to Godwin, where cops were already directing us to exit off of 58," he said.
The department said a tree knocked out one vehicle's windshield while another vehicle was completely underneath the tree. The department used chainsaws and other gear to cut the other tools to remove parts of the tree from the road.
“There were some rather large limbs. It was ten to twelve inches in diameter, but most of the canopy was on the other side of the car. They were fortunate to get out," said City of Suffolk Fire and Rescue Chris Jordan.
Barakey said the fire crew were able to clear the scene in under two hours. Suffolk public works, police, and fire assisted in the response.
“So, you know, when you send 21 people to a problem, and the public works sends six people, and police send eight people, so things happen very quickly, so it’s people, it’s equipment, its training and the best equipment, and in this case, it turned out very well," said Chief Barakey.
Based on the timing of the damage and radar images at those times, the NWS says it's possible the damage could be related to tornadic activity. But right now, it's too soon to be sure.
There were several tornado warnings in effect for Suffolk and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon and evening, as Tropical Depression Debby moved through coastal Virginia and North Carolina.
