Twin linden trees downed by Sayville wind

The King and Queen of Benson Avenue reign no longer.

The title was bestowed by Patty Larado, 56, on the twin linden trees that towered more than 80 feet above her Sayville home. On Sunday morning Larado and her husband, Steve, watched in horror as the trees started falling toward her home.

“It was scary,” she said. “Everyone ran toward the back of the house.”

But the trees got caught in a twist of wind, she said. One toppled onto another tree that caught it, while the other slowly fell toward their driveway. The Larados were able to move their cars out of the way before the tree slammed onto their driveway.

“We were very, very lucky,” she said.

Tom Hake and his tree service crew spent Monday afternoon chopping up the fallen trees.

“This storm got some beauties,” he said. “A lot of oaks, hickories — these are very hard trees. Usually it’s the maples and pines that come down in a storm.”

Larado said she was saddened by the change in her landscape, but thankful her house suffered only a small dent in a gutter.

“The fall will be a much easier cleanup for me,” she said. “There will be a lot less leaves.”