Woman dies after tree falls on her tent

A 56-year-old woman died after a tree fell onto her tent while she was camping at Illinois State Beach Park near Zion Tuesday.

Conservation police making morning rounds drove past the camp site around 7 a.m. and noticed the tree had fallen onto the tent, Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller said.

The tree, which was about 10-15 inches in diameter, hit Debra Mrock and pinned in another person camping with her, Keller said.

When police made rounds at 6 a.m., everything appeared to be fine, Keller said.

Mrock was pronounced dead around 8 a.m. at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan. The other person camping with her was treated for injuries and later released, Keller said.

The Waukegan-area got about 1.77 inches of rain in Tuesday night's storm, officials said.

An autopsy for Mrock is scheduled for this morning.

Conservation police are investigating the incident, but were not available for comment late Tuesday.