Mar 20, 2008 7:20 pm US/Eastern
Tree Falls On Car, Kills Driver In Westchester
2 Children In Back Seat Survive Terrifying Accident
MONTROSE, N.Y. (CBS) ―
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A tree fell on top of a car in Montrose, N.Y., killing the driver and injuring his two children in the back seat.
CBS
A man was killed and his two young children were injured after a massive tree fell on their car on Furnace Dock Road in Cortlandt around 10:10 a.m. Thursday morning.
Police say the man was heading north in a Mercedes sedan when the tree fell from the right side, smashing directly on top of the car. The car continued for about 200 feet before coming to rest on the side of the road. Video taken at the scene shows a barely recognizable 1995 Mercedes Benz.
The driver, 55-year-old Dr. John Corser, who works as Acting Chief of Medicine at Metropolitan Hospital in New York City, was killed from the impact. His two children, 4-year-old Imara and 8-year-old Gabriel, survived the accident and where taken to Westchester Medical Center where they were said to be in good condition. Investigators say the limbs that struck the vehicle were shaped like a "V," which explains how the children escaped unharmed.
"When the tree came down the front limp came down on top of the driver and the rear limb came down on the trunk, essentially the children were between the two limbs and that ended up saving them," said New York State Police Sgt. James Kranik.
Cindy Shapiro happened to hear the tree fall, which prompted her to run towards the scene, what she later described as a very, very sad situation.
"The children were both moving and crying it was awful, very sad."
Dr. Corser is married to Dr. Lourdes Figueroa Corser, who was working at Montefiore Medical Center at the time of the accident.
The family attends a church in Croton, where Michael Keane is their pastor.
"The ending of Easter with joy and resurrection is something we hope to convey to the family to lighten the burden of this tragic loss," said Reverend Michael Keane.
Friends at the church said the family moved to Croton from Brooklyn after a fire destroyed their Brownstone and most of their possessions. And now, this tragedy takes an even greater toll.
Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 for the latest in this developing story.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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