Tree Falls, Kills Two on Christmas

Sad story.

(Garden State Parkway, New Jersey) A 42-year-old Massachusetts man, Joel Baudouin, and his mother, 72-year-old Marie Vernet, were killed early yesterday morning when a tree fell on the car they were traveling in on the Garden State Parkway.

Baudouin's two daughters, riding in the back seat, were injured and hospitalized. Both are reported to be in satisfactory condition.

Authorities say the car had just left the Brookdale Service Area en route to a family Christmas celebration in Belleville. Driving in the center lane moments afterward, the tree fell.

The cause of the tree falling has not been officially established. However, the ground was saturated with water and it was windy.