A woman killed when a tree fell onto her car as she drove north on Interstate 680 in Danville Monday was identified by colleagues as Lyudmila Beyzer, 58, of Danville.
Beyzer was driving a silver Mercedes-Benz sedan northbound on the highway north of the El Cerro Boulevard off-ramp around 8:55 a.m. when a 50- to 60-foot tree fell either on top of or directly in front of her car, California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Brandon Correia said.
Beyzer was pronounced dead at the scene. She is listed online as a doctor affiliated with John Muir Health with an office in Walnut Creek.
The tree blocked all but the far left lane on the highway. All lanes reopened by about 12:30 p.m. after crews removed the tree and vehicle from the roadway, according to the CHP.
Investigators do not yet know why the tree fell, Correia said, though some said the tree’s root ball, anchored into a sloping hillside adjacent to the highway, appeared to be quite shallow and unable to support its own weight.
