UPDATE: 'Jaws of Life' Used in Fatal Accident, Tree Crushes Responding Fire Truck

A 39-year-old woman died Saturday night when a large pine tree fell on her late model Nissan Murano SUV on Park Lane in Westport. Three other vehicle passengers were also injured in the accident and taken to Norwalk Hospital for non life-threatening injuries.

The passengers were able to get out of the car before emergency services arrived, however, the driver remained trapped in the car, according to a news release.

The driver has been identified as Jennifer Thibault of Long Valley, N.J. She was visiting her sisters in Westport who were also in the car.

Westport Fire Deputy Chief Jonathan Gottfried said in the release that the tree caused extensive damage to the roof of the vehicle and firefighters had to use chain saws to remove large chunks of the tree before using the "jaws of life" to pry open the car and reach the victim. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Westport police and fire departments and Westport EMS responded to the scene around 7 p.m. Saturday. 

At that time, winds were in excess of 65 miles per hour and rescuers were working in heavy rain.

As the extrication effort was winding down, nearby pine trees began falling down due to the heavy wind. One pine tree hit a group home on Park Lane, causing severe damage to the rear of the home, according to the release. Then, another tree fell down narrowly missing firefighters assigned to Truck 1, the department's 95-foot tower ladder truck causing severe damage to the truck and rendering iunusable. A public works crew operating with the firefighters on the scene also narrowly missed being hit by the tree that hit the ladder truck, according to the release.

No clients were in the group home at the time the tree hit the roof, and when the clients and their group home manager arrived at the home on foot they were transported by fire personnel to the evacuation shelter open at the Westport Center for Senior Activities.

The accident remains under investigation by the Westport Police Department Accident Investigation Unit and members of Detective Bureau.