Man Rescued After Tree Crashes Down On Car Near Midtown Detroit
HIGHLAND PARK (WWJ) - Heavy rains that saturated the ground are being blamed for a huge tree falling onto a man's car as he drove through Highland Park.
Residents on Marston Street, off Woodward Ave., were left stunned — including Shavaughn Taylor, who witnessed the accident Wednesday afternoon near midtown Detroit.
"I just heard a crack, like, 'Crack!' ... seen the tree coming," Taylor told WWJ's City Beat reporter Vickie Thomas, who was on the scene for the dramatic rescue."I screamed because I seen the car; the instant it hit the car I just screamed. I just thought he was gone. I'm so blessed he's OK."
A crowd gathered to watched as firefighters pulled the man from his vehicle while the tree still rested on top.
"They just took him out, made it to the hospital with him. Thank God!" Taylor said.
There was barely a breeze at the time the tree fell, and neighbors believe recent flooding could explain the accident.
Carlita Chase, who'd just pulled out of her driveway adjacent to the tree, said it could have been her who was nearly crushed.
"That's something else; that's so scary! And they say it's happening all over because of that weather, because of that rain," Chase said.
"This just happened out of the blue; I can't understand it," Taylor added. "That tree had been there forever, too ... The rain, it might have made the roots week. That's crazy."
Police said the man was expected to be OK. This name was not released.