Diana Ospina Obituary, Death; – A woman from Middlesex Borough, who tragically lost her life when a tree fell on her vehicle while she had pulled over during the severe storm on Thursday, has been named. On Monday, North Plainfield Police identified the deceased as Diana Ospina, 44, from Middlesex.
According to Police Chief Alan McKay, Ospina was driving east on Greenbrook Road in a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee around 6 p.m. when the thunderstorms in the area intensified. The woman, who was traveling alone, pulled over in the 700 block at approximately 6:30 p.m. While she waited for the storm to subside, a large tree uprooted, taking the sidewalk with it, and fell across Greenbrook Road, landing on her vehicle and causing damage to a second vehicle and several homes, McKay reported.
The fallen tree also brought down live electrical wires, which, combined with the unstable tree, complicated the rescue efforts by North Plainfield police and firefighters, he noted. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene due to the injuries she sustained in the incident, McKay stated.
Police remained on-site throughout the night, awaiting Public Service Electric & Gas crews to deactivate the electricity to the power lines. A local tree service and crane were summoned to remove the tree from the Jeep, he added.
The Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently removed the woman’s body from her vehicle, and an autopsy will be conducted at a later date to ascertain the cause of death, according to the chief. Anyone with information regarding the accident is encouraged to contact the North Plainfield Police Department Traffic Safety Division at 908-769-2931.
In addition, officials reported that two individuals were killed in Plainfield when a tree fell on their vehicle, as stated on Friday morning. The deceased men, aged 79 and 25, were pronounced dead at the scene shortly before 7 p.m. due to their injuries. Their identities and hometowns have not been disclosed.
The National Weather Service indicated that based on photographs and Doppler radar imagery, the damage observed during the storm aligns with straight-line winds and downbursts.
Wind speeds were estimated to be…
