Tragedy Averted as Large Tree Falls in Midtown

A powerful early morning storm Thursday toppled a mammoth tree at the corner of 5th Street and Penn Avenue and left at least two people thankful that property damage was all that was sustained.

Shortly after 2 a.m., the large tree was uprooted from the 780 Penn elevated property from where it had stood for decades. It fell southward across 5th, taking down utility lines and crashing the rear end of an SUV that was stopped at the intersection’s stop sign.

The driver in the vehicle was fortunately unhurt, as was Hans Dietrich, a tenant at 780 Penn.

“It was a big bang and rumble and commotion,’’ Dietrich told Patch. “I live upstairs and my sleeping area is right under the roof. It didn’t take long to realize that I was very lucky. If that tree had taken a different angle, it could’ve been disastrous.’’

The home sustained structural damage to the porch, while at least two other parked vehicles in addition to the SUV were damaged significantly.

Atlanta police have the intersection blocked off and as of 8 a.m. Georgia Power repair crews had not arrived on scene. Once they do Thursday morning, it is expected to take several hours to clean up the mess and restore power to area residents.

Severe thunderstorms that have downed trees across Atlanta the last three evenings are possible again today and tonight according to local weather forecasters.