Community Corner
BMW Crushed, Realtor Escapes Injury After Tree Falls In Valrico
A stately oak tree falls on a car heading north on Lithia Pinecrest Road in Valrico on July 24. Driver Jeff Chandler, a '73 Brandon High graduate, escapes injury.
River Hills Realty owner and broker Jeff Chandler is always open to opportunities to branch out. But this wasn't what he had in mind.
Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, Chandler was driving on Lithia-Pinecrest Road near Lithia Springs Road when a tree fell on his car. The large oak fell across both lanes of the road, forcing traffic down to one lane for two hours.
"I saw it going down and I was able to brake, otherwise, it probably would have killed me," said Chandler. Fortunately, Chandler was not injured but his BMW was crushed.
A longtime area resident, Chandler has been a real estate professional for 20 years and was the first buyer in the River Hills community where he and his wife, Barbara, have lived for 22 years.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office issued an alert advising drivers to avoid the area.
County maintenance workers were promptly summoned to remove the tree.
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This story was written by Community Editor D'Ann White and first appeared in the Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch on July 24.
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