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Talk about wrong place at the wrong time

Started by crowder888, February 12, 2009, 06:31:36 PM

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crowder888

Yesterday was yet another wild day of weather here in central Indiana.  Several inches of rain on already saturated ground and wind gusts up to 66 mph led to many trees going down.

My wife and I had plans with our best friends last night and they were late to our meeting which is not that uncommon for them.  I then received a frantic phone call from him saying they were driving down the road when a gust blew over a large tree (red oak about 24" dbh) along the side of the road and landed it squarely on top of the car.  He was able to get out but his wife was trapped in the car for nearly 2 hours while crews tried to cut her out. 

I tried to get to the scene but the officers wouldn't let me anywhere close because there were many other trees on that stretch of road that "could come down anytime."  I did see some pictures today and its amazing they are alive.  It landed directly on top of the front seat of the car.  She is pretty banged up...3 broken vertebrae and a bruised lung but she's gonna live. 

How does something like this happen???  What are the odds?  I can say one thing though, even though God let that tree fall on them He had His hand on the whole event and their faith is stronger because of it.


Frickman

A few years ago in the county to the west of me the local school district superintendent, a school principle, and their wives were all killed when a dead tree along the road fell on their car as they drove by. Like you said crowder, what are the odds?
If you're not broke down once in a while, you're not working hard enough

I'm not a hillbilly. I'm an "Appalachian American"

Retired  Conventional hand-felling logging operation with cable skidder and forwarder, Frick 01 handset sawmill

Pretend farmer when I have the time

Jeff

It happened to our neighbors next door a few years ago.   I think the odds are actually very good that a tree will fall on a car and lots of trees will fall on lots of cars. There are billions of trees along the roads and hundreds of millions of cars that travel those roads. Just the odds of it being your car are pretty slim.
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JV

About a year ago, a local young man was riding a motorcycle down a county road and a tree limb broke in front of him, fell on him, and killed him.  A one in a billion chance.  With the ice storms this winter and the high winds, I suspect many trees will be weakened.  With our typical Indiana springs, I expect many more to fall when the ground thaws and we get the usual spring winds.  Driving around a couple of days ago after the snow melt, I noticed a lot of damaged trees. 
John

'05 Wood-mizer LT40HDG28-RA, Lucas 613 Swing Mill, Stihl 170, 260 Pro, 660, 084 w/56" Alaskan Mill, 041 w/Lewis Winch, Case 970 w/Farmi Winch, Case 850 Crawler Loader, Case 90XT Skidloader, Logrite tools

ErikC

  A guy got hit while on a motorcycle in Willow Creek, a town towards the coast from here. Killed him on the scene. :o That was a couple years back.
Peterson 8" with 33' tracks, JCB 1550 4x4 loader backhoe, several stihl chainsaws

metalspinner

I pass one of those kind of trees each day.  It's a monster oak that looks like it was snapped like a twig about 30' up.  The city just bought that property for a new school last year.  They cleared all the land, but left the trees near the road. ::)  I'm surprised nothing has been done about this particular tree.  I've metioned to my wife to watch out for that tree each time we pass it. ::)

Sorry about your friends, Crowder.  I hope all goes well for them .
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

WildDog

In late 2002 there was an unfortunate incident where 2 school girls were killed when the tree they camped under on an excursion fell on the tent. A week later 3 of us had keys to the area and went in to camp and canoe.

The best spot was alongside where the tree had fallen, one of my mates Tony said "I'm uneasy about this" we said it's ok lightening doesn't strike twice in the same place, about  30 mins later when we were setting up camp there was an almighty crashing sound and down the hill side came a real big old eucalyptus that travelled head 1st knocking other trees with it all the way down to the water just across from us.

It was a beautiful spot, good fishing, great mud crabs but I was glad to be out of there, after 3 days, just couldn't relax with the thought of what happened a week earlier and an eary feeling I just couldn't shake.
If you start feeling "Blue" ...breath    JD 5510 86hp 4WD loader Lucas 827, Pair of Husky's 372xp, 261 & Stihl 029

Ianab

Eucalytpus is bad for dropping large branches with no warming at all.

Last year a youngster was killed in a playground by a large  (12") limb falling off a big Euc. No warning, no sign of rot in the tree, no bad weather. Just dropped off and landed on a kid.

Wrong place, Wrong time for sure.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Warbird

Thank God your friends are alive and going to recover, crowder888.

SPIKER

one or two years back a large limb fell on a car up in Cleveland killing the driver, she was in 30's or 40's I think news said, I drive that stretch of road several times a year MLK BLVD....

Mark
I'm looking for help all the shrinks have given up on me :o

scgargoyle

I dated a girl that was driving along, and a big tree got hit by lightning and fell across the road as she was driving under it. How close was it? The leaves on the small branches hit her windshield, but she got through before anything solid hit the car. There were some faint scratches in the finish- that's all. And one very shaken young lady! If she drove the speed limit, she'd a got clobbered, but her lead foot saved her that time! :D
I hope my ship comes in before the dock rots!

Tom

QuoteI drive that stretch of road several times a year MLK BLVD....

Y'all have a MILKING BLVD too?




gunman63

thats always been my theory, the faster u drive the less time on the road for a accident 8)

Raider Bill

About 25 years ago my best friend and I were heading on our scooters home into a tropical storm. My friend was a head of me and a big tree split in the wind and came down in front of us. it actually hit right in front of him, he laid the bike on it's side, slid under the tree on it's first bounce and brought the bike back up on the other side. Looked like hollywood. I got slowed down enough to divert onto the sidewalk and around where I found my friend sitting on his scoot shaking like a leaf.

Close call.........
The First 70 years of childhood is always the hardest.

Wudman

Quote from: crowder888 on February 12, 2009, 06:31:36 PM
Yesterday was yet another wild day of weather here in central Indiana.  Several inches of rain on already saturated ground and wind gusts up to 66 mph led to many trees going down.

My wife and I had plans with our best friends last night and they were late to our meeting which is not that uncommon for them.  I then received a frantic phone call from him saying they were driving down the road when a gust blew over a large tree (red oak about 24" dbh) along the side of the road and landed it squarely on top of the car.  He was able to get out but his wife was trapped in the car for nearly 2 hours while crews tried to cut her out. 

I tried to get to the scene but the officers wouldn't let me anywhere close because there were many other trees on that stretch of road that "could come down anytime."  I did see some pictures today and its amazing they are alive.  It landed directly on top of the front seat of the car.  She is pretty banged up...3 broken vertebrae and a bruised lung but she's gonna live. 

How does something like this happen???  What are the odds?  I can say one thing though, even though God let that tree fall on them He had His hand on the whole event and their faith is stronger because of it.



I live in a very small rural community but have encountered this situation twice while with the local volunteer fire department.  In both cases a large white oak limb landed on top of a vehicle travelling down the road.  Both were fatal. 

Wudman
"You may tear down statues and burn buildings but you can't kill the spirit of patriots and when they've had enough this madness will end."
Charlie Daniels
July 4, 2020 (2 days before his death)

easymoney

a lot of tree huggers are against cutting any trees no matter how dangerous they are. let one go down in a storm and take out thier power and see how they holler for someone to come get thier power back on.

sawguy21

I had a very interesting conversation with a power company employee a couple of years ago. We were sitting in a pub because neither of us had power at home. :D He told me they were seeing far more incidents of blow down because the trees behind the ones lining the streets were being cleared for urban development. That left no protection for the trees adjoining the utility lines and the street.
old age and treachery will always overcome youth and enthusiasm

rowerwet

weirdest one I have heard of was a jogger in florida who got killed when a tree split, no wind or storm, just bad timing, she must have been wearing headphones not to hear it, I think I could dodge a tree better on my feet than in a car.
Husky 460, Fiskars x27, X7

Meadows Miller

Gday

Crowder sorry to hear about your freinds and i hope they both have a spedy recovery Mate  ;)
Quote from: Ianab on February 13, 2009, 05:13:11 AM
Eucalytpus is bad for dropping large branches with no warning at all.
Ian

Euca's mainly drop limbs around here during summer due to stress and do it to reduce water consumtion Red Gums ar the worst for it  ;)

Reguards Chris
4TH Generation Timbergetter

Chico

ope your friends recover and do well Crowder.   Tom don't you know everybody has to have one  :-X
Chico
My Daughter My sailor MY HERO God Bless all the men and Women fighting for us today If you see one stop and thank them

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