Tomorrow is not given: Odds of being killed by falling tree while in moving car?

[JEDI]

https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/public_safety/man-dies-after-tree-falls-on-his-car-while-he-was-driving-police-say/article_24f603df-717f-5dcb-8793-49014ae17146.html

What are the odds?

That's life.
Tomorrow is not given.

I know a friend who's in a union.
He's close to retirement.
That's his favorite saying: Tomorrow is not given.

All his life he's blown his $ having fun and is always in debt besides his house. (car, rv camper, boat + 6 wheel truck to tow the camper/boat)

His union pension + social security will barely cover his bills + interest payments when he retires.

He's going to die in debt and he knows that.
But from what he's been saying, his life's been a ball.

I think i've been doing it wrong saving and being debt free.
but then again, i dont have a guaranteed union job

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Higher than you think. It's really not that uncommon.

FDNY Firefighter Killed by Falling Tree in 'Freak Accident' While Driving with His Family on Vacation

New York City firefighter Casey Skudin was tragically killed by a falling tree while on vacation with his family in North Carolina just days before his 46th birthday, which coincided with Father's Day

people.com

How Many People are Killed by Falling Trees Every Year in the U.S.?

OSHA reports that over 100 people are killed by trees every year in the United States. Reiff wrongful death lawyers discuss tree accidents.

www.reifflawfirm.com

Cockatoo couple killed by falling tree south-east of Melbourne

Two people were driving along Woori Yallock Road in Cockatoo on Friday morning when a tree fell, Victoria Police believe.

www.theage.com.au

Mainer killed by falling tree branch while driving

UPDATE: A Waterville woman, who was killed during Monday’s high winds, was engaged and had a large following on the social media site TikTok. A tree branch crashed onto the car of 31-year-old Rochelle Hager, of Waterville, on Knowlton Corner Road in Farmington. Hager died when wind gusts...

wgme.com

Felton Man Killed by Falling Tree While Driving - Press Banner

A San Lorenzo Valley man died after a tree randomly snapped and fell on his truck as he drove southbound on E. Zayante Road.

pressbanner.com

GDPR Support

..

 

[brianmanahan]

a pension really does make a big difference in retirement

my grandparents didn't have much saved for retirement. but one grandpa had a pension and was able to retire at 62, and the other didn't and had to work until he was 75.

it's why i stick with a job that i hate. 15 more years will get me a pension that pays more than social security.

then again, if a tree could fall on my car today, maybe i shouldn't care so much about 15 years from now...

 

[kage69]

I know two people in Maine who have lost family members to big 'widow maker' trees, and no storms or forestry occupations involved. Had a close call occur right in front of me once involving some friends from Mass, they scrapped the trip and left the next morning they were so rattled.

Be wary around big trees, always.

 

[Scarpozzi]

a pension really does make a big difference in retirement

my grandparents didn't have much saved for retirement. but one grandpa had a pension and was able to retire at 62, and the other didn't and had to work until he was 75.

it's why i stick with a job that i hate. 15 more years will get me a pension that pays more than social security.

then again, if a tree could fall on my car today, maybe i shouldn't care so much about 15 years from now...

There's a balance and compromise with that stuff. Not only should you consider saving for retirement so you don't starve or require govt assistance, but you should also spend a lot of money NOW while you're young enough to do the things you want. I know a lot of people that had unexpected health problems that kept them from traveling or doing the things they wanted. What good is a pile of money if you're tethered to a recliner?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

I have a VERY large Oak tree in my lower yard that has a VERY large crack in a VERY large branch. I have a line of colored fence posts marking what I feel will someday be the fall line so I can be aware and not spend time in that area longer than to pass by quickly.

Not something I can afford to pay to have taken down since there are no buildings at risk.

 

[Mai72]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but here it is.

Over 10,000 little children pass away horribly every day from starvation. What makes us so special that we believe that we are immune to death because we are close to retirement, or that we did the correct things in life? IMO, that is life. You can pass away unexpectedly at any time. I had a friend who just recently passed away at 42 from cancer. He was young, but it was his time. My point is we aren't that special.

 

[Mai72]

There's a balance and compromise with that stuff. Not only should you consider saving for retirement so you don't starve or require govt assistance, but you should also spend a lot of money NOW while you're young enough to do the things you want. I know a lot of people that had unexpected health problems that kept them from traveling or doing the things they wanted. What good is a pile of money if you're tethered to a recliner?

Its because the ugly truth is when we get old our bodies break down. You just don't have the vigor that you once had at 30, or even 40. And so, we were conditioned to believe that when I retire I'll do this. And when I retire I'm going to travel, etc. But first, I'll work 40- 60 hours a week for 30 years. In effect, I'll burn away my youth so I can do the things I want to do when I'm old. And the truth: Most people never get to do what they wanted. Life gets in the way. Illness. Their bodies break down. Also, you won't have the same experience traveling the world at 65 than if you traveled the world at 30. Its a huge difference.

My mom wanted to travel to Italy. She passed away suddenly at 65.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I have a VERY large Oak tree in my lower yard that has a VERY large crack in a VERY large branch. I have a line of colored fence posts marking what I feel will someday be the fall line so I can be aware and not spend time in that area longer than to pass by quickly.

Not something I can afford to pay to have taken down since there are no buildings at risk.

Why not cut it now and save yourself the trouble?

 

[lxskllr]

If you were close to me, I'd do it for you Lost. On the farm at work we were looking for a property corner next to a drive, and under a dead ash. I was crouched down probing the edge of the drive to see what the metal detector found(nothing). As I was walking away, a large branch fell right where I was crouched down. It would have been a severe injury at least if I was still there.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Because it's two foot in diameter, or more. Forty feet long/tall, or more, Starts off the main trunk about twenty feet above ground and stands out at a fifteen or twenty degree angle. And it has a crack all the way through which means it can't be cut at the start of it without splitting and 'barberchairing' It would have to be cut from the far end and work back. It will take at least a bucket truck if not a crane and there is no real way to get either to it.

.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Because it's two foot in diameter, or more. Forty feet long/tall, or more, Starts off the main trunk about twenty feet above ground and stands out at a fifteen or twenty degree angle. And it has a crack all the way through which means it can't be cut at the start of it without splitting and 'barberchairing' It would have to be cut from the far end and work back. It will take at least a bucket truck if not a crane and there is no real way to get either to it.

.

You couldn't just take one of those long pole saws and just work on it from a distance? Your basically describing an entire tree ready to fall off that tree. I'd be tempted to find a way to get that bastard down on my time.

Hell, throw a braided nylon rope around it and tie it to a tow hitch. You'd be surprised how much of the plant world responds to a modern engine at low rpm.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

There is no risk in leaving it greater than the risk of trying to get it down. The markers remind me to watch out and NO ONE else has access to this property.

And yes, it basically a tree growing off a tree as most large oak branches are. The base of the tree is something like fifteen feet in circumference. Height is estimated to be near seventy feet, maybe seventy five.

 

[lxskllr]

That's way out of Lost's league. If it's 24", that's 200#/ft of weight. Decreasing of course as diameter decreases, but also adding for the canopy. It would have to be climbed and rigged down.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

And with the full through crack, no one in their right mind would climb it.

As the property owner, I would not LET anybody climb it without proof they had sufficient injury insurance.

 

[lxskllr]

Have to look at it. Just about anything that isn't rotten is climbable. Tie in above it, go out on the limb with your tie in taking the weight.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Higher than you think. It's really not that uncommon.

FDNY Firefighter Killed by Falling Tree in 'Freak Accident' While Driving with His Family on Vacation

New York City firefighter Casey Skudin was tragically killed by a falling tree while on vacation with his family in North Carolina just days before his 46th birthday, which coincided with Father's Day

people.com

How Many People are Killed by Falling Trees Every Year in the U.S.?

OSHA reports that over 100 people are killed by trees every year in the United States. Reiff wrongful death lawyers discuss tree accidents.

www.reifflawfirm.com

Cockatoo couple killed by falling tree south-east of Melbourne

Two people were driving along Woori Yallock Road in Cockatoo on Friday morning when a tree fell, Victoria Police believe.

www.theage.com.au

Mainer killed by falling tree branch while driving

UPDATE: A Waterville woman, who was killed during Monday’s high winds, was engaged and had a large following on the social media site TikTok. A tree branch crashed onto the car of 31-year-old Rochelle Hager, of Waterville, on Knowlton Corner Road in Farmington. Hager died when wind gusts...

wgme.com

Felton Man Killed by Falling Tree While Driving - Press Banner

A San Lorenzo Valley man died after a tree randomly snapped and fell on his truck as he drove southbound on E. Zayante Road.

pressbanner.com

GDPR Support

..

RIP all those people. It's hard on the families left behind too.

The following is not intended to be disrespectful. It is the perfect time for it is all -

 

[Captante]

One KEY thing to keep in mind about being happy "now".

Thing is many folks fail to grasp that as humans "NOW" is ALL WE EVER GET.

It will never be "tomorrow" or "next Thursday" because upon their arrival both those formerly distinct moments will morph into "now" too ... just wait and see.

Trick in life is being happy/satisfied with what you have. NOW.

 

[BoomerD]

I don't mean to sound harsh, but here it is.

Over 10,000 little children pass away horribly every day from starvation. What makes us so special that we believe that we are immune to death because we are close to retirement, or that we did the correct things in life? IMO, that is life. You can pass away unexpectedly at any time. I had a friend who just recently passed away at 42 from cancer. He was young, but it was his time. My point is we aren't that special.

One thing about life that no one wants to acknowledge...is that none of us will get out of it alive.
My wife and I are, and have been excelling at spending our kids/grandkids' inheritance.
YOU GET NOTHING!

 

[Captante]

One thing about life that no one wants to acknowledge...is that none of us will get out of it alive.

5 to 1 baby.... one in five.

 

[Mai72]

One thing about life that no one wants to acknowledge...is that none of us will get out of it alive.
My wife and I are, and have been excelling at spending our kids/grandkids' inheritance.
YOU GET NOTHING!

Yea, that is true. But, I'm not about to YOLO my life away. I'm just advocating for awareness.

And death for most people is outright scary. IMHO this is because we don't talk about it. We ignore death like its a very far destination. It only happens to the very old. Buddhist monks meditate on death. Christian monks decorate their rooms with the skulls of the deceased. Stoics take death very seriously. Senecca wrote about death quite frequently. In today's society its taboo to mention death. I believe that to be a mistake, because it brings awareness to the fact that this life is very temporary.

 

[Captante]

Personally I'm hoping to time things so my LAST check bounces!



EDIT: GL collecting THAT overdraft fee motherfvcker!

 

[Red Squirrel]

I often wonder that any time I'm driving to my off grid property. I usually come across a few down trees on the way that I have to remove to get by so the odds of a tree falling while I'm actually driving may be small, but it's non zero.

When we had that ice storm a few months back we had a tech driving to a cell tower with a generator and he said he could actually see trees falling all around him as he drove. When he got to the site and got out of the vehicle, he could actually hear trees in the bush falling in all directions. At that point it was dark so he couldn't actually see anything, only hear it. He said it was the weirdest thing. I went out to a friend's cottage maybe a week after that to help him move fallen trees and you could hear all the ice crackling in all the branches too. It's a really interesting sound.

 

[BoomerD]

Yea, that is true. But, I'm not about to YOLO my life away. I'm just advocating for awareness.

And death for most people is outright scary. IMHO this is because we don't talk about it. We ignore death like its a very far destination. It only happens to the very old. Buddhist monks meditate on death. Christian monks decorate their rooms with the skulls of the deceased. Stoics take death very seriously. Senecca wrote about death quite frequently. In today's society its taboo to mention death. I believe that to be a mistake, because it brings awareness to the fact that this life is very temporary.

MOST people ARE afraid of death. It's the end of everything, as far as we know. What waits for us on the other side? Are the religious groups right and there's a paradise awaiting our arrival? Will we once again see our loved ones...and favorite pets? Is Hades real? OR, is it just nothing. Lights out, that's all she wrote?

No one knows.

 

[nOOky]

We have a large maple in our yard. It had about a 12 foot high piece of trunk that was dead and ready to split off. One day while mowing I yanked on it, just to see how rotten it was. It came free easily, and somehow I managed to push it off to my side as it fell. I did not know my girl dog was coming up right behind me, she caught the trunk right across the middle and it pinned her to the ground. She looked to be dead, somehow I was able to lift the piece off of her and move it to the side. I started hollering for the wife as she's a vet, but she didn't hear me.

I started trying to shake the her to see if she would respond, and she started to struggle and choke. I think she was knocked out and also had the wind knocked out of her. She staggered to her feet, and I was able to get her in the house walking with her by the collar. When she got in the house my wife examined her, and said as far as she could tell, she was just bruised up. She gave her a pain pill, and she eventually recovered 100%, except she won't go by that tree. When I went back out to finish mowing, I could not move that branch even by dragging it. I had to use the mower and a strap. Weird.

Edit: I was also trail running after work one day, and an old ash tree fell across the trail right where I had been about 30 seconds before. I'm sure it would have killed me.