FALLBROOK: Elderly driver, crushed by falling oak tree, ID’d

An elderly Fallbrook resident was killed after an oak tree fell onto his vehicle. Brush Fire Partyline/San Diego North County photo

FALLBROOK – San Diego County coroner’s officials have identified an elderly man who was crushed to death Monday morning when an oak tree uprooted and fell onto his minivan. The deadly accident happened about 8:20 a.m., Jan. 9, as the victim was driving on a rural road in the 2200 block of Willow Glen Road in Fallbrook.

Coroner officials identified George Bamber, 84, of Fallbrook, as the man killed in the freak accident. Officials listed Bamber’s time of death as 8:42 a.m. Bamber resided with his wife and adult son in Fallbrook, according to a coroner’s release of information.

San Diego County emergency dispatchers were first notified about the deadly incident after a Willow Glen Road resident “heard a loud crashing noise outside his home and saw a large tree on top of mini van on the road,” according to the coroner’s release. The resident immediately called 911 after finding Bamber inside his crushed vehicle, described as a grey Toyota Sienna.

Firefighters and paramedics responded to the scene of the deadly accident and found Bamber’s crushed vehicle under a large oak tree.

Firefighters discovered Bamber had suffered major traumatic injuries and he was trapped inside his destroyed minivan. He later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The tree that collapsed onto Bamber’s vehicle was left blocking both lanes of the road and his body remained trapped in the vehicle until firefighters were able to extricate him from his destroyed van.

Firefighters and other officials spent several hours cutting apart the fallen tree, before they could safely access the van to recover Bamber’s body.

Recent rains may have weakened the tree’s shallow root system, according to a California Highway Patrol official, who described the accident as “a terrible event.”

The fallen tree and Bamber’s vehicle were removed from the scene several hours later and Willow Glen Road was reopened to through traffic shortly after noon.

CHP officials from the Oceanside area station are conducting an investigation into the fatal accident.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.