Man and boy, 10, killed as tree falls and crushes car amid wild weather

A man and young boy have died after a tree fell on top of their car in Victoria amid severe weather conditions throughout the state.

The 46-year-old man and 10-year-old boy were killed as they were travelling through Sherbrooke, around 46km east of Melbourne, on Sunday late afternoon.

According to Victoria Police, it’s believed the pair were driving north along Monbulk Road when a gum tree fell on top the moving car just after 5.30pm.

The driver and the young boy, both from the town of Cockatoo, died at the scene. They are yet to be formally identified.

“Knox Highway Patrol officers will investigate and prepare a report for the coroner,” Victoria Police confirmed.

On Monday morning, footage showed the collapsed tree, reportedly at least a metre in diameter, on the side of the road along with pieces of broken headlight and parts of the car console.

A falling tree has killed a father and a son in a freak accident in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges, as powerful winds lash the state. @msanto92 #9News pic.twitter.com/Duui3UXfjh

— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) July 15, 2019

The latest deaths bring the Victorian road toll to 167 in 2019, an increase from 105 this time last year. And the devastating news comes as the state battles with severe weather, bringing heavy rainfall and damaging winds.

On Sunday the Bureau of Meteorology issued weather warnings for much of the state, warning of strong winds throughout parts of Victoria. Residents were advised by the State Emergency Service to take care when out and to beware of fallen trees and debris on the roads.

This was later downgraded with winds and rain easing on Monday.

Update to Severe Weather Warning: https://t.co/HLs2UYFQyQ Widespread shower activity over southern/eastern Vic, with conditions easing early on Monday. Some of the heaviest falls have been in #Melbourne water catchments, with 41mm at Thomson-Yarra Divide: https://t.co/ZjiDlW7tZv pic.twitter.com/o9CSp7rsIU

— Bureau of Meteorology, Victoria (@BOM_Vic) July 14, 2019

The shocking deaths of the two Victorians follows news last week that a woman died after being trapped in a car when a huge tree collapsed on the vehicle amid wild winds in NSW.

Emergency services were called to Victoria Street in Katoomba at around 7pm on Thursday night but the woman, in her 40s, sadly could not be saved.

Read more: ‘Like a bomb going off’: Woman dies after tree falls on car amid wild NSW winds

A male driver, aged in his 20s, was trapped inside the crushed car and sustained head and chest injuries. He was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition.

A neighbour who lives nearby described the moment the tree collapsed to The Daily Telegraph, admitting: “It was like nothing I’ve heard before, like a bomb going off.”

“It doesn’t look good, it’s a nasty accident,” she added.

Power outages hit the nearby area following the incident, while police were forced to close the road to launch the rescue mission to free the man trapped inside – with Police Rescue, Fire & Rescue NSW, and NSW Ambulance paramedics all joining forces.

“Officers from Blue Mountains Police Area Command established a crime scene and commenced inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” NSW Police added in a statement.

Have you been following this story? Have you been caught up in the severe weather?