BREVARD, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say one motorist died and three others were critically injured when a large oak tree in a national forest in western North Carolina fell into a road and onto their vehicle.

Brevard Fire Chief Bobby Cooper says the tree fell Saturday on two cars traveling on U.S. Highway 276 in the Pisgah National Forest. The fatality and injuries occurred in one car. The U.S. Forest Service plans to perform an assessment to determine why the tree fell.

 

Cooper says he believes the 24-inch diameter tree fell due to rotting at its base. No storm was going on at the time.