Death in High Winds Was Natural
A heart attack, not a downed tree limb, caused the death of an 82-year-old Pacoima man during a day of high winds earlier this month, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said Saturday.
Carlos Lopez was returning home with his son, daughter-in-law and four grandchildren Dec. 14 when the limb of a wind-whipped pine tree snapped and fell on the family minivan while it traveled on Eldridge Avenue in Lake View Terrace, the coroner’s spokesman said.
Initial reports suggested the man had died of a broken neck. But Saturday, the coroner’s spokesman Tom Schwabe said Lopez died from “arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease,” a condition that includes hardening of the arteries.
“All we know is that there was no significant trauma to cause his death,” Schwabe said. “He died a natural death.”
More than 1,000 trees were toppled by powerful Santa Ana winds, which buffeted the San Fernando Valley in mid-December. Of those, about half were owned by the city, according to authorities.
The Los Angeles city attorney’s office has said anyone who sustained damage or injuries from fallen city trees can file a claim at the city clerk’s office.
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