UPDATE: Durham Police issued a correction on Thursday clarifying that Donna Warshaw is the correct spelling for the victim’s name, not “Warsaw” as it was shared on Wednesday. This article has been updated to reflect this information.


A Hillsborough driver died Tuesday afternoon during a severe storm, as a tree fell and struck her vehicle while traveling in Durham.

A release from the Durham Police Department said around 4:20 p.m. — which was when the brunt of a severe thunderstorm with high winds battered the region — Donna Warshaw was traveling North on Anderson Street in a 2023 BMW X3. Police said as she entered the intersection at Morehead Avenue, a large tree fell and struck her vehicle.

Once first responders arrived, police said Warsaw was pronounced dead at the scene. She was 78 years old.

Durham Police said Anderson Street and Morehead Avenue were to remained closed for several hours overnight as crews worked to clear the road. On Wednesday morning, the department said Morehead Avenue between Chapel Hill Road and Anderson Street was still closed to traffic due to power or signals being out.


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