A San Diego man was killed Wednesday morning after a tree fell on him, the third death linked to the storm pummeling Southern California over the holiday, the San Diego Police Department confirmed.
The man, who was 64, was in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego when he was hit by the tree around 10:55 a.m.
Local television news outlets showed the massive 75-foot tree collapsed on the sidewalk at 3805 Marlborough Ave. Family told NBC 7 San Diego that the man was named Roberto Ruiz, and that he had just stepped out of their home to move his car when part of the tree toppled and crushed him.
Ruiz’s death was the third fatality linked to the Pineapple Express storm that has brought debris flows, downpours and evacuations to the Southland.
On Sunday, a person died in rising waters as flooding overwhelmed parts of Redding, according to city officials. Police officers tried to save the person, who was inside a vehicle as the waters rose around them, but they did not make it out in time.
On Monday, a woman in her 70s was knocked off a rock and killed by a large wave during a fierce storm at a beach at MacKerricher State Park, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
