Second driver killed by falling tree on same roadway in less than a year

ARLINGTON, Va. (WUSA) – A driver traveling on a busy roadway in northern Virginia was killed after a tree fell on their vehicle Thursday morning.

A Virginia driver was killed after a tree fell on their vehicle. (WUSA, HOLDEN FAMILY, CNN)

The driver was on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Arlington when the tree fell, authorities said.

The accident closed both lanes of traffic near Donaldson Run Trail until about 1:45 p.m., when crews towed the badly damaged car away from the scene.

Thursday’s tragedy is similar to another deadly accident that occurred last spring.

During a storm in May 2025, a tree fell and hit the car that 61-year-old Marla Holden was driving, killing her on a stretch of the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Fairfax County.

During a storm in May 2025, a tree fell and hit the car 61-year-old Marla Holden was driving.

In September, the National Park Service conducted eight weeks of tree maintenance along the parkway in the area of that initial deadly accident.

Part of that work assessed the health of the trees and removed any found to be hazardous.

Copyright 2026 WUSA via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.

For more U.S. news, click here.