Just over two 1/2 hours of a road-trip away from Loveland, is Lake Minatare State Recreational Area near Scottsbluff. It’s known for having a lighthouse. After this past weekend, it’s also known as the place where that Loveland man was killed when a tree fell.

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Larry W. Smith, Getty Images
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You have to wonder how many accidents resulting in death happen on summer vacations, across the nation.  This one would end up in the ‘fluke’ category.  A man from Loveland was vacationing with buddies on Sunday, July 3rd, 2016 in Nebraska. While standing on the shore of Lake Minatare, a tree fell and killed him. What are the odds of something like that happening?

According to The Scottsbluff Star-Herald, Mathew Weaver, 49, of Loveland was standing on the shore of the lake with his friends Mark Pennell (from Lakewood) and Dan Randall (from Nebraska.) All of the sudden this big cottonwood tree starts making a couple of ‘pop’ sounds, then the tree breaks- snapping at about 10 from the ground, and comes crashing down on the three of them. From the pictures that the Star Herald has, this is one mighty cottonwood. I don’t know anything about trees, but what fell to the ground, looks like it weighs over 400 pounds.

It appears Mathew Weaver was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. According to reports, it looks like termites had rotted the tree out, and it picked that exact time to break. Mark Randall was critically injured by the tree fall as well. Dan suffered minor injuries.

A car accident. A boating incident. I lightning strike. Of all the things that might run through your head as ‘let’s be careful and not let ______ happen', avoiding a tree fall has got to be the last thing you ever think of.

Our prayers go out to both Mathew and Mark’s families and friends.

Get more on the story from The Scottsbluff Star-Herald HERE

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