Debris from the shattered trunk caused a second vehicle to crash; the roadway was closed in both directions for more than three hours.
CARNATION, Wash. — A 44-year-old woman died and a 49-year-old man was critically injured Saturday afternoon when a tree fell onto their moving Subaru Forester on Carnation-Duvall Road Northeast just north of Fay Road Northeast, authorities said. The impact shattered the trunk across the lanes and halted traffic in both directions.
Officials said first responders reached the crash around 2:30 p.m., finding the SUV crushed against a guardrail and debris strewn across the roadway. Eastside Fire & Rescue crews used hydraulic tools to reach the occupants. The woman, a Duvall resident riding in the front passenger seat, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, a man from Skykomish, was airlifted with life-threatening injuries. The Washington State Patrol is leading the investigation and has not released the victims’ names. Authorities said the closure stretched for more than three hours while crews removed the tree, examined the wreckage and cleared a second crash triggered by the debris.
Witnesses told investigators that the Subaru was traveling south when the tree came down without warning. Battalion Chief Seth Merritt of Eastside Fire & Rescue said the force of the strike splintered the trunk on impact and pushed the SUV forward until it stopped at a guardrail. “As the ground gets saturated, these trees get weakened, their root systems get weakened, and they come over,” Merritt said. After the initial impact, a northbound pickup struck a large section of the downed tree and became stuck, blocking the other lane. Four people inside the truck were not hurt, officials said. Tow operators, road crews and firefighters worked together to cut and remove the trunk, which had broken into several heavy sections across both lanes.
Early accounts from the scene indicate recent rain may have saturated soil along the roadside, weakening the tree before it failed. Investigators have not yet determined the species or exact age of the tree, and they have not identified any other vehicles directly involved in the first impact. The Subaru’s airbags deployed, and responders reported heavy front-end and roof damage. A medical helicopter landed nearby to transport the driver to a Seattle trauma center. Fire officials said responders stabilized the vehicle, checked for fuel leaks and searched the surrounding shoulder for additional hazards as traffic backed up in both directions.
Carnation-Duvall Road Northeast, a two-lane corridor that threads along farms, neighborhoods and river bends, often carries weekend traffic between Redmond, Duvall and the Snoqualmie Valley. On Saturday, drivers turned around at closure points while troopers documented the scene and flagged tree crews into place. The crash area sits north of Carnation proper, close to a stretch of roadside timber that leans over the pavement. Longtime residents said fallen limbs are not unusual after wet spells, but a full tree collapse onto a moving vehicle is rare. The valley has seen past weather-related closures, including slides and downed trees, during prolonged fall and winter rains.
Investigators said they would review roadway camera footage, interview drivers and witnesses, and use the State Patrol’s mapping tools to reconstruct the sequence of impacts. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm the woman’s identity and cause of death. The damaged Subaru was removed for inspection, and the pickup involved in the secondary crash was cleared after crews cut away the trunk section wedged beneath it. WSP will prepare a collision report and evaluate whether any additional public-safety steps are needed along the corridor once the cause of the tree failure is established.
By Saturday evening, the road reopened as crews finished sweeping bark and branches from the shoulder. Officials said updates on the driver’s condition and the official identification of the victim would come from hospital and medical examiner releases. The next expected milestone is the State Patrol’s preliminary collision memo, which typically posts within several days.
Author note: Last updated December 9, 2025.