Century-old oak tree comes crashing down on car at Lodi Lake
A large oak tree estimated to be more than 100 years old came crashing down on a car in the Lodi Lake parking lot on Thursday at around 1 p.m. No one was injured and the owners of the blue Mercury Grand Marquis were eventually able to drive away in the car.
The tree completely uprooted from the asphalt, with some its branches landing on the car.
Some bystanders who walk around the lake on a daily basis noted that the asphalt surrounding the tree was cracked, and that the roots were very visible.
Cathi DeGroot, deputy director for the Lodi Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department, was as at the scene to assess the damage.
“’It was at least 100 years old, which is longer than the park’s been around,” DeGroot said of the felled tree.
DeGroot suggested that the tree fell due to “nature taking its course.”
The owners of the damaged car, who asked not to be identified, said that they were visiting Lodi Lake with their small dog. They parked on the east end of the lot as you enter the park’s grounds, right next to the tall, shady tree. With a cooler full of soft drinks, the couple and their dog set out for a lovely afternoon walk with temperatures reaching into the high 80s.
Despite the moderate gusts of wind, the two had no suspicion that a giant oak tree would collapse onto their car.
“We were in the back walking the dog when we heard the tree fall. It was the park people that informed us it was our car,” one of the car’s owners said.
West Coast Arborists, contractors for the City of Lodi, happened to be a few blocks away on Locust Street when they caught wind that the tree had fallen. One of the workers said he was driving down Turner Road when he spotted the fallen tree, and so the team was called over by the city.
After about an hour of assessing damage, taking notes, and removing the tree’s branches off of the Marquis, the car was finally free from entanglement. The car owner drove it away from the scene, with only scratches and a damaged trunk that were visible.