46-year-old Molly Glynn died Saturday after being hit by a tree uprooted during a surprise Chicago thunderstorm.
Meteorologists say that wind gusts were up to 70 and 80 miles an hour in the Erickson Woods area outside of Northfield, Illinois, where Glynn and her husband, fellow actor Joe Foust, were biking at around 3pm. Glynn had a theatre audition earlier in the day and was doing a normal routine activity with her husband of four years to celebrate the audition’s end. Glynn’s husband, Foust, said that he and his wife liked to bike ride on the North Branch trail, their favorite, on a regular basis. The storm took them both by surprise, and Glynn said that they should take cover shortly before she was struck by a tree. “It was harsh and quick,” said Foust. He tried to call paramedics to arrive and take his wife to the hospital, but inclement weather delayed his call. Finally, after 20 minutes, he was able to contact paramedics who quickly arrived and took his wife to the hospital.
Glynn leaves behind her husband, Joe Foust, as well as two sons, Chance (17 years old) and Declan (13 years old).
Molly Glynn was declared dead at Evanston NorthShore Hospital on Saturday at 12: 45pm. “I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save her. She’s gone,” Foust wrote on his Facebook page, utterly in shock by his wife’s death.
Molly played the role of a doctor on the NBC show Chicago Fire in addition to her work with companies such as Chicago Shakespeare and Steppenwolf.
Unfortunately, a fellow Chicago actor, Bernie Yvon, died on Saturday as well after a semi-trailer hit his vehicle.
According to researchers, deaths by thunderstorm involving tree uprooting are rare, with only about 60 deaths or so per year due to such storms. At the same time, however, meteorologists say that sudden storms, even storms that do not involve tornadoes, are still dangerous. “[This is] the most high-profile example yet of the tragically underrated danger of falling trees caused by non-tornadic winds,” said The Weather Channel senior meteorologist Stu Ostro.
