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Hillsborough woman killed in Durham after tree falls on car during intense storms

CORRECTION: The name of the driver killed during the storm has been updated after Durham Police corrected the spelling of her name.

Corrected Aug 17, 2023

A 78-year-old woman was killed in Durham after a large tree fell on her car while she was driving in the middle of Tuesday’s heavy thunderstorms that passed through the Triangle.

Durham police said Donna Warshaw of Hillsborough was driving north on Anderson Street around 4:20 p.m., not far from the Lakewood neighborhood. As she crossed the intersection with Morehead Avenue, a tree fell on her car. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Storms knocked out power to thousands of people in the Triangle, with Durham County hit especially hard. At 11:15 p.m., over 60,000 Duke Energy customers remained without power.

Durham Public Schools canceled classes Wednesday for year-round and specialty schools. Police say many roads in Durham remain closed, including the intersection of Anderson Street and Morehead Avenue.

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This story was originally published August 15, 2023 at 11:21 PM.

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Jessica Banov
The News & Observer
Jessica Banov is a news editor and audience growth specialist at The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. She was part of the team from The N&O and The Charlotte Observer that was named a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist for Breaking News for coverage of Hurricane Helene. She also serves as The N&O’s intern program coordinator. 
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