© Jason Getz, jgetz@ajc.comAtlanta Braves fans stand under cover in the upper deck as rain falls on Turner Field during a rain delay in the top of the 5th inning of their game against the Texas Rangers Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, Ga., June 18, 2011.
But witnesses told police that Shufen Yang was too late.
Whether it was heavy rain, slippery roads or unusually gloomy conditions, Yang could not get out of the way Saturday evening as the tree crashed on her 1993 Honda Accord.
The 55-year-old Marietta woman was pronounced dead at the scene, the only reported fatality resulting from a round of thunderstorms that swept through the area Saturday afternoon.
"It's one of those freak things," said Cobb County police spokesman Officer Mike Bowman. "I can't think of anything [similar] that I can recall that we've handled before."
No one answered a knock at the front door of Yang's home in East Cobb Sunday afternoon. They declined comment when reached on the phone earlier that morning.
One of Yang's neighbors, Scott Morgan, said he didn't know the family well but that they had always been friendly to him.
"They mostly kept to themselves," said Morgan, who has lived next to the Yangs for the past seven years. "But they have been great neighbors."
Electric utility workers continued to battle downed trees and power outages across the state Sunday after the storms.
Around noon Sunday, Georgia Power said about 2,400 people were without power in the Atlanta region, mostly in DeKalb and other areas east of Atlanta. Another 16,000 residents are reportedly without power statewide.
Most electrical service is expected to be restored by early Monday morning.
In addition to power outages, emergency workers had to remove downed trees in DeKalb, Fulton, Forsyth and Hall counties, and in Atlanta on Saturday and early Sunday.
A woman had to be removed from her car by Atlanta firefighters after a tree fell at Grandview Avenue and Pharr Road in the Buckhead area. Several vehicles were damaged in the accident.
Gwinnett rescuers also pulled several people from the Chattahoochee in Johns Creek. No injuries were reported in that incident.
In Floyd County, four people were reported injured when a tree limb fell during the fourth annual Rome River Jam. Two of those injured were taken to a hospital, according to Channel 2 Action News. Widespread wind damage and fallen trees were reported throughout Cherokee County.
Gwinnett crews reported trees down and either blocking or partially blocking East Shadburn Ferry Road in Buford; South Berkeley Lake Road in Duluth; and Highpoint Road Southwest near Highway 78 in Snellville. Crews also were investigating reports of downed power lines.
Lightning is also suspected in several Gwinnett fires on Saturday. Crews were sent to a two-story house at 2505 Cobble Creek Lane SW in Grayson. No injuries were reported. Crews also responded to structure fires at Zoey Lee Drive SW off Temple Johnson Rd. in Rosebud and at 1130 Ashbrook Dr. in Athens.
High temperatures on Father's Day are expected to reach the mid-90s. It will be hot and dry with highs in the 90s and lows in the 70s through mid-week.
Georgia Power is advising Georgians to report power outages due to lightning or fallen trees at http://georgiapower.com/outage or call 1-888-891-0938.
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