2 in hospital after tree falls on car in Surrey during B.C. windstorm - Action News
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British Columbia

2 in hospital after tree falls on car in Surrey during B.C. windstorm

A mother and child are in hospital with minor injuries after a tree fell on their car in Surrey Friday, during a day of weather chaos on the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.

Wild weather also caused ferry cancellations and widespread power outages

Emergency crews were called to the scene in Surrey, B.C., after a tree fell on a car during a windstorm. (Curtis Kreklau)

A mother and child are in hospital with minor injuries after a tree fell on their car in Surrey during a day of weather chaos on the Lower Mainland, the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.

The woman was in the car with her youngest child when the tree fell, according to her niece, Nicole Tran.

Tran said the woman's eldest child, nine years old, escaped from the car, but the woman and her youngest, who is of preschool age, were trapped in the car between 10 and 20 minutes until fire crews arrived.

Two people are in hospital with minor injuries after a tree fell on their car in Surrey, B.C. (Jesse Johnston/CBC)

Environment Canada had earlier forecast winds gustingup to70 km/h over Greater Victoria, the Southern Gulf Islands, East Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Bricks fall off building

In Vancouver, fire crews were kept busy during the windstorm by falling bricks from a building at Pender Street and Gore Avenue.

The bricks hit a rented home whereAlan Tang has livedsince 1993. Hesays he's unsure if he'll continue to live in the building after the incident.

"I was watching TVin the living room, then I hear a boom sound," he said."I think it's the lighting; I go up to check my room and the ceiling was all collapsed."

A couple living in a nearbycoach housesay a retaining wall blew over ata condo being built next door and damaged their home.

"We looked at our house and you could just see the living room totally ripped open and exposed and my jaw just dropped," saidHayden Kannegiesser.

"We just went out for groceries, I almost didn't even go with her. I could have been in there. It's mind boggling," saidTrevor McEachran.

Ferries, power impacted

The wild weather caused BC Ferries to cancel service on four routes between the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.

However, it was late Friday it announced that it was able to restore service between Horseshoe Bay and Departure Bay for the7 and 9 p.m. sailings.

The following routes were still cancelled as of 7 p.m.:

  • Vancouver (Tsawwassen) - Victoria (Swartz Bay)
  • Vancouver (Tsawwassen) - Nanaimo (Duke Point)
  • Vancouver (Tsawwassen) - Southern Gulf Islands

BC Hydro customers were also impacted by the storm.

As of 7 p.m., more than13,000 customers were without power across the Lower Mainland, Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.