As high winds battered Philly region, downed trees cause rail-service woes and at least one death

As the Philadelphia region was battered by high winds on Thursday, downed trees caused service disruptions on SEPTA and Amtrak, and part of a tree hit a vehicle and killed the driver in Chester County.

Investigators were trying to determine if the winds caused a light pole to fall at Roxborough High School, killing a 73-year-old.

The winds were howling consistently since around 6 a.m., and a peak gust of 49 mph was reported at Philadelphia International Airport.

Shortly before 10 a.m., a piece of a tree fell onto the roof of a 2011 Chevrolet Suburban traveling south on South Ship Road north of Stonegate Court in West Whiteland Township, police said.

A 30-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene and a juvenile passenger was transported to Paoli Memorial Hospital, police said. The passenger’s condition was not released.

A report from 6abc said the passenger was a 6-year-old girl and the accident was being investigated as wind-related.

The School District of Philadelphia confirmed that a person was killed by a wooden light pole Thursday morning on the Roxborough High football field. The person, who was described by the district as a “community member,” was 73 years old, a city official said. No other identifying information about the person was immediately available.

“We are committed to working with appropriate agencies to inspect and assess wooden poles across District facilities and suspending all outdoor activities on Roxborough’s field until further notice,” the district said in a statement.

SEPTA reported service disruptions on its Regional Rail lines throughout Thursday afternoon and into the evening.

There was at least one downed tree in the Paoli area that caused the Paoli Line to be suspended and created ripple-effect delays, said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch.

Then part of a tree came down on wires near Temple University, causing more disruptions throughout the Regional Rail system, Busch said.

Busch said the service woes were “definitely” wind-related.

An Amtrak spokesperson confirmed that a downed tree in the Paoli area affected overhead wires and blocked the track, causing service to be suspended between Philadelphia and Lancaster. The tree was removed and service resumed.

Peco reported 44,000 power outages Thursday, with 6,600 customers without service as of 5:30 p.m., said spokesperson Greg Smore. However, with gusty winds expected to continue into the night, crews were working “around the clock,” he said.

Staff writer Anthony R. Wood contributed to this article.