Woman Killed by Falling Tree in Grande Ronde

The woman who died was a dump truck driver scheduled to be working in the Grand Ronde area all week.

Photos courtesy: Dean Bender/Polk County Sheriff's Office

(DALLAS, Ore.) - Deputies in Polk County say a woman in the Grande Ronde area died just after midnight when a tree unexpectedly fell on top of a truck and camper that she was inside of.

The Polk County Sheriffs' Office responded to the scene at the Wandering Spirit RV Park in Grand Ronde, Oregon at 12:15 AM, according to Sheriff's Office Spokesman Dean Bender.

"After arriving on scene, they were notified by West Valley Fire that there was one trapped deceased occupant in the camper. Due to the shear size of the tree, a local logging company, Hofenbredl Logging, was called in to help lift the tree off the truck and camper."

Bender said the tree which measured 11 feet in diameter, had previously been cut to about 20 feet from the ground with most of the branches cut off.

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"The tree was apparently being used by the park as a light post. It appeared as though the tree had simply fallen over from its own weight on the wet ground from all of the rain that the area has received."

The deceased occupant was later identified as 51-year old Julie Mae Williams of Lyons, Oregon.

Mrs. Williams, a dump truck driver, had borrowed the truck and camper and rented space at the campground as she was scheduled to be working in the Grand Ronde area all week.

Mrs. Williams' husband, Mr. Danny R. Burroughs was notified of the accident.