A Maryland woman who sought shelter from Thursday evening’s storms in her car was killed when a tree toppled and crushed the car.
Rose Briceno had just returned home from a Halloween vigil at church with her son. They were sitting in the car waiting for the heavy rain and wind to pass before going inside when the storm brought the tree down.
“He said that when it happened, right before he wiggled out, he tried to feel for a pulse,” said her brother, Carlos Briceno. “He said he couldn’t feel anything.”
Until recently, they parked their cars in a different spot in the driveway. If the car had been there, it wouldn’t have been hit by the tree.
“Still can’t believe that it happened,” neighbor Rachael Pollack said. “I mean it’s hard enough to look in the driveway and see the car and the tree. I don’t think any of us are going to believe that it happened or make sense of it ever, let alone today of all days.”
Briceno was a lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security. She and her husband also had a 14-year-old daughter adopted from China.
“Faith was important to her,” her brother said. “She loved, loved, loved people and so there was always something going on at this home. She always invited people.”
