Delaware County Courthouse
MEDIA, Pa. – A recently filed lawsuit blames the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and others for the death of a woman who was killed when a tree fell on her car on Interstate 476.
Karen Marie Hofmann died following the July 18, 2024 accident in Haverford Township, which is also named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed last month in the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
Hofmann was driving her three granddaughters when a tree that was hanging over I476 came down and crushed her roof. The suit says the tree was in a “diseased and decayed state.”
Asplundh Tree Expert Company and Fox Fields Association, which is alleged to be in charge of maintaining trees and vegetation on its property, are also named as defendants and are accused of failing to correct a dangerous situation.
“The condition of the subject tree created an unreasonable risk of harm to users of the highway, including plaintiffs,” the lawsuit says. “A reasonable inspection of the subject tree would have revealed a dead, dying, decayed and/or diseased tree.”
The suit is also filed on behalf of the three granddaughters who were injured. It says they have suffered “great bodily pain” and “emotional distress due to the shock and distress” from seeing what happened to their grandmother.
Each of the defendants are charged with negligence and wrongful death. Valerie Williams of Keller, Lisgar & Williams represents the plaintiffs.
