Metro Atlanta / State News 1:34 p.m. Friday, February 24, 2012
For the AJC
Authorities say a Macon woman fishing on the bank of a lake was killed when a tree crashed onto her head.
Macon police say 57-year-old Ethel Mae Riggins was fishing with a friend in the Lake Arrowhead neighborhood Thursday afternoon. Her friend, who was fishing on a small peninsula nearby, told police there was a large gust of wind and he heard a loud pop.
Police say that by the time the woman’s friend realized that a tree was falling and tried to warn her, it snapped near its base, hit the ground and snapped again. Police say the top portion of the tree struck Riggins in the head, killing her.
She was pronounced dead at the scene by the Bibb County Coroner’s Office.