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Perth weather: Woman fights for life tree crushes car in South West

Daryna ZadvirnaThe West Australian
VideoPerth was battered yet again on Tuesday by more rain and strong winds.

A South West woman is fighting for life after a tree fell and crushed her car during wild weather that has caused havoc across the bottom half of the State.

The freak accident happened around 5pm, as a 51-year-old woman was driving a Toyota Hilux utility along the Vasse-Yallingup Siding Road during the storm.

Police said a “large” tree fell on the moving car and caused extensive damage to the Hilux, crushing the roof.

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It is understood the tree was ripped down by strong gusts — which reached up to 119km/h.

The female driver, the sole occupant of the car, was rushed to Busselton Hospital after receiving critical injuries, including a large cut to her head and a broken jaw.

She was later airlifted to the Royal Perth Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.

At the peak of the storms about 11,000 homes and businesses lost power across WA and nearly 100 pleas for help have been made to State Emergency Service crews for storm damage since Monday morning.

Cam Bostock, left, and Harry Rout, right, stand on Bluff Knoll on Tuesday after a dusting of snow covered the area.
Camera IconCam Bostock, left, and Harry Rout, right, stand on Bluff Knoll on Tuesday after a dusting of snow covered the area. Credit: Harry Rout

Hail, thunderstorms and destructive winds swept across Perth and WA’s south-west corner on Tuesday in the wake of a strong cold front which crossed on Monday night.

Despite reports of hail blanketing backyards, roads being flooded and trees being uprooted, only 4.2mm of rain fell in Perth since 9am yesterday.

Mundijong was also battered with destructive winds that reached 85km/h in nearby Serpentine, which toppled 50-year-old trees and caused extensive damage along Adonis Street.

Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Range near Albany also received a layer of snow.

Another cold front will bring more rain today and Thursday, according to Weather Bureau duty forecaster Bob Tarr, however the rough conditions should ease.

“There will still be some weather around, but the next two days will feel more settled,” he said.

Perth is set to peak at 17C today with light west to south westerly winds reaching 15 to 20 km/h in the early afternoon.

PERTH FORECAST

Wednesday: 17C - Cloudy, 1-2mm

Thursday: 9-18C - Shower or two, 0-1mm

Friday: 7-20C - Sunny

Saturday: 9-18C - A few showers 3-10mm

Sunday: 8-19C - Partly cloudy, 0-0.4mm

Monday: 8-20C - Mostly sunny

Tuesday: 9-21C - Partly cloudy

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