Bethesda Urban Partnership workers examine the fallen tree on Thursday. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
Updated, 3:40 p.m.: ?In gusty winds Thursday afternoon, a tree fell on a man on Woodmont Avenue between Montgomery Avenue and Hampden Lane in Bethesda.
The tree, approximately 50 feet tall, is near Hampden Square. It broke at the bottom of its trunk, which then covered the lanes of Woodmont Avenue. The incident occurred at about 1:15 p.m. while heavy winds gusted in the area.
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The fallen tree blocks part of Woodmont Avenue.
About a dozen onlookers were staying with the injured man while waiting for help to arrive.
Heijia Wheeler, who lives nearby, said that when the tree fell, she heard a loud noise, looked out her window and saw a man unconscious under the tree.
By the time an ambulance arrived, he was placed on a gurney and conscious, she said.
As of 1:45 p.m., staffers from Bethesda Urban Partnership were removing the tree from the road.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Pete Piringer said a unit from the Bethesda Fire Department responded, as did an ambulance. He said the man suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Trees in Bethesda’s public rights of way are managed by the Bethesda Urban Partnership, the organization’s spokeswoman Stephanie Coppula said. This tree was on private property. Bethesda Urban Partnership staff was on scene to help with the cleanup, she said.
Meanwhile, a fallen tree blocks East West Highway.
With reporting from Andrew Metcalf.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.