A tree destroyed a car and narrowly fell on a house in Whittier on Monday evening.
The incident happened in the 15000 block of Lanning Drive. There were no injuries, but the felling of the tree scared neighbors and left the car owner with no way to get to work.
Hector Tobon said he was eating dinner when he heard a loud noise. When he got out, he found that his car was destroyed.
“Well, I had about eight days since I acquired it, and well, that’s a total loss. So now I find myself without a vehicle, because I don’t have to travel to work, and I don’t know what to do. Now we’ll wait with the insurance to see who can support us,” said Tobon, originally from Mexico City and who has only lived in Whittier for about a year.
Mercy Alvarado was on the phone when she too heard a loud noise and came out to see the tree above Tobon’s car.
“I look at the roots and it’s like 10 feet tall. It’s amazing,” Alvarado said.
Alvarado has lived in the neighborhood for about 20 years and said the trees have damaged property before. However, she was still shocked by the size of the tree that fell on Monday.
“We probably could have lost a few lives if he hit somebody’s house,” Alvarado said.