SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) — Authorities have identified the man who was killed when a large tree split apart and collapsed during powerful winds on Christmas Eve in City Heights.
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office said 61-year-old Roberto Ruiz Salmeron was standing on a sidewalk near his home when part of the tree broke off and struck him. Firefighters and police officers attempted to free him from the fallen branches and provide medical aid, but he died at the scene.
The tree split into several large pieces around 10:55 a.m. near the corner of Marlborough Avenue and Wightman Street, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office and San Diego Fire-Rescue officials. Ruiz was pronounced dead at 11:14 a.m., roughly 20 minutes after he was struck. The cause of death has not been released…