Postal worker killed in 'freak accident' on Georgia golf course

LITHONIA, GA (KTRK) -- A Georgia postal worker was killed after a tree fell on his vehicle Saturday.

It happened at the worker delivered mail to a golf course.

"It's just extremely sad, because this is something that appears to be a freak accident," says DeKalb Fire Captain Eric Jackson.

The Mystery Valley Golf Club on Shadow Rock Drive near Lithonia was the scene of an unlikely fatal encounter with nature, on the level of getting struck by lightning.

A postal worker delivering mail to the golf course was crushed by a tree as he was driving through.

"It's just one of those things," Jackson says. "We've had cold weather, and it appears that tree may have fallen due to some of the high winds."

Firefighters say the mailman noticed the tree starting to fall, but was unable to get away from it fast enough and it came straight down on his truck.

We spoke to a certified arborist at AKA Tree Removal who explains when accidents like these happen, the property owner is usually not responsible.

"In the state of Georgia, if the tree is green, it's an act of God and it's no one's fault," says expert Jeremiah Wilson.

And if it's the winter time, when trees are generally missing their leaves, it gets even more complicated.

"Unless you've got a written notice saying it's dead, there's really nothing as far as Georgia law."

Police are investigating the incident and if weather was a factor.