Tree limb falls, killing SC woman at I-77 Welcome Center in North Carolina, EMS says
A woman was killed when a limb fell from one of the trees surrounding an Interstate 77 Welcome Center near the North Carolina-Virginia state line, according to investigators.
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It happened around 4:20 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, in Surry County, and the woman has been identified as 68-year-old Cindy Priselac of Lexington County, South Carolina, officials said.
“Surry County 911 was notified …. that a woman was struck in the head by a falling tree limb,” Surry County Emergency Services Chief Eric D. Southern said in a news release.
“Bystanders who witnessed the incident initially started CPR on the victim, with first responders from Pine Ridge VFD and Surry EMS taking over care upon their arrival. She was pronounced dead on scene after she did not respond to resuscitation efforts.”
Priselac was standing on the sidewalk near some steps when she was struck, witnesses said.
“At that time, the weather was clear, and the last measurable rain in that area was the day before,” Southern said. “No on-scene reports of strong winds at that time.”
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Priselac was a wife, mother and grandmother who previously served as vice chairman on the board for the Free Medical Clinic in Columbia, according to her obituary. She worked at Baptist Hospital in Columbia before starting her own interior decorating business, the obituary says.
The N.C. Department of Transportation released a statement noting the Welcome Center “remains closed at this time.”
“We are aware of the tragic incident that occurred at the Interstate 77 North Welcome Center and extend our condolences to the individual’s family and loved ones,” the NCDOT statement says.
The Welcome Center is northwest of Mount Airy, about a 100-mile drive north from uptown Charlotte.
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