CORONER CITES HEART ATTACK IN STORM DEATH.

Byline: Stacy Finz Daily News Staff Writer

When the worst wind storm in more than a decade sent a tree smashing into Carlos Lopez's mini-van in Sylmar, his family says he was healthy and strong, even at 82.

But on Friday, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office reported that a heart attack killed the Sylmar man - not the massive tree that struck the vehicle he was riding in Dec. 14 with his son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren.

``It's an ironic set of circumstances,'' said Coroner's Office spokesman Scott Carrier. ``But we do know that he suffered from a cardiovascular disease (which included) hardening of the arteries.''

An attorney advising Lopez's family said he does not agree with the coroner's conclusion and is investigating the death himself.

``It's more than a coincidence that he had a heart attack at the same time a tree falls on his truck,'' said attorney Cuauhtemoc V. Martin. ``We're going to look closely at the situation and make our determination from there.''

He said Lopez, a retired horse groom, did not have heart problems.

The city owned the tree that hit Lopez as the mini-van stopped to turn at Cranston and Eldridge avenues, said Dan Woodard, senior assistant city attorney. But the city tree fell only because it was struck by a Los Angeles County tree in the El Cariso Golf Course, he said.

``This may have been a very unusual storm - an act of God,'' Woodard said of the downed trees.

The city is liable for damage from fallen trees if it can be proved that the city knew the tree posed a danger and failed to correct the problem within a reasonable amount of time, said Steve Peters, chief investigator for the City Attorney's Office.

Lopez emigrated from Mexico in 1946 and had just become an American citizen this year, voting in his first election in November. He is survived by three adult sons, eight grandchildren, four step-grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.