This story has been updated to add additional information from the City of Upper Arlington.
An Upper Arlington Police Division officer is uninjured after a tree fell on their cruiser the morning of Aug. 11 amid severe storms in central Ohio, according to a social media post from the city.
The police officer was working a special traffic detail for ODOT’s 45-day Riverside Drive closure, watching traffic from his parked police van, when the tree hit the top of his vehicle, Andrés Antequera, communications manager for Upper Arlington, said. The officer was able to get out of the vehicle and was not injured.
The tree fell on the van near Riverside Drive and McCoy Road during a morning stretch of storms that caused wind gusts of 82 miles per hour and flipped a car in Columbus.
Trees, debris and power lines were down throughout Upper Arlington on Aug. 11 as city crews worked to respond to calls, according to an announcement on the city’s website. Upper Arlington has its own storm damage map for residents to track affected areas and where crews are working in the aftermath of the Aug. 11 storms.
The city also advised residents to stay inside during the storm, avoid downed power lines, treat dead stoplights as four-way stops and stay away from flooded areas. Residents who need shelter can go to the Bob Crane Community Center at 3200 Tremont Road, according to the city.
Transportation and neighborhoods reporter Nathan Hart can be reached at NHart@dispatch.com, @NathanRHart on X and nathanhart.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Upper Arlington police cruiser struck by falling tree during storm
Reporting by Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
