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Man Dies After Tree Crashes Onto House During Violent Storm

LAMAR TOWNSHIP  –  Thursday night’s storms are also being blamed for killing a man in Clinton County, after a tree fell on his home. The victim was a well...

LAMAR TOWNSHIP  -  Thursday night’s storms are also being blamed for killing a man in Clinton County, after a tree fell on his home.

The victim was a well-known retired teacher.

The back end of this house was demolished after a roughly 100-foot pine tree came crashing down on it during a violent thunderstorm late Thursday night here near Mill Hall.

Karen and Ken Shadle live next door and say the homeowner Kathy Dwyer came over frantic, saying she couldn`t find her husband Frank, who was home with her when the tree fell.

“She came pounding on the door and she says Karen, she said a tree fell on the house and I can`t find Frank,” said Karen.

The Shadles rushed over as Kathy explained Frank had been in their upstairs bedroom, locking the windows over concerns the heavy wind would blow them open when the tree collapsed on that part of the house.

“We went back in the bedroom, both walls were gone, both outside walls were gone, the windows were out,” said Karen.  “They moved the bed and mattress thinking Frank might be under it, Frank wasn`t, so I started calling for Frank and he answered me, he did, we don`t know how, he did answer me and I said to Ken, he`s outside.”

Karen says they found Frank in the driveway under part of the tree, which emergency responders had to cut away to get to him.

Frank later died at a hospital in Williamsport.

“We didn`t think it was as bad, we knew both legs were really bad and they thought his back might be broken but we got him down to Williamsport and then...” said Karen.

Karen says Frank was a retired high school teacher from the Keystone Central School District.

He and his wife have been their neighbors for nearly 40 years.

“Oh, my God, we`re devastated, we just can`t believe it, you know,” said Karen. “We never expected this outcome and I said to Ken, how did we get here?”

According to the Clinton County Communications Center, Frank was the only weather-related death.

 

 

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