Tree Crushes Car, Kills 3 in Atlanta

ATLANTA (AP) -- A woman and two small children were killed when a large oak tree fell on their sport utility vehicle during a severe thunderstorm, authorities said.

The father, who was driving the vehicle, was not injured in Thursday's accident, Deputy Fire Chief Gerald Rioux III said.

``He is distraught beyond words,'' fire department spokesman Jolene Butts-Freeman said. ``He lost his entire family.''

The tree was uprooted as rain and high winds pelted rush-hour traffic in Atlanta. The victims were identified as Lisa Cunard, 37, and her sons Max, 3 years, and Owen, 6 months.

Firefighters worked in silence sawing through the thick limbs and base of the tree to retrieve the victims. Power to the area, a district of popular bars and restaurants, was cut off. Residents and employees of area businesses stood somberly behind yellow police tape.

``The family did everything right,'' Butts-Freeman said. ``The mom was in the back seat with the kids, which is normally the safe thing to do when traveling.''