More Details on 2 Wind-linked Deaths in Oakland

By Bay City News Service

Oakland police released more details today, Friday, about two deaths that occurred Thursday night during windy weather.

The deaths were reported within a half-hour of each other Thursday night during a period of extreme high winds that left thousands without power, brought down trees and fueled fires throughout the Bay Area.

The first incident was reported at 8:10 p.m., when officers were called to the 2000 block of Austin Street near Fruitvale Avenue on a report of an unresponsive person on the ground, police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said.

The officers found power lines and parts of a large tree had fallen in the area.

The person was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death remains under investigation, police said.

Then at 8:37 p.m., a collision was reported in the 13000 block of Skyline Boulevard in which a vehicle struck a tree.

Officers found a vehicle had left the roadway and struck a tree in the center divider. The male driver was found unresponsive and was declared dead at the scene, Watson said.

The cause of the collision remains under investigation, she said.

The identities of the victims in both cases have not yet been released, according to the Alameda County coroner's bureau.

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. – Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.