'It Is Just A Miracle': Palmer Woman Says She's Lucky To Be Alive After Branch Fell On Car
PALMER (CBS) – Maureen Gallagher feels like she cheated death Sunday when a huge tree branch fell on her car, narrowly missing her head.
"Thank God I'm alive. It's a good day, a very good day," said Maureen Gallagher. "I heard the crackling of the tree, and there wasn't time to do anything."
She was right around the corner from her home in Palmer, heading out to meet her husband, who's recovering from a stroke at a rehab facility. She said it seemed like there was a lull in the storm when it hit.
"It was the crackling, and then the tree was down, into the car, into the windshield," said Gallagher. "I don't know why I did this, but I turned my head this way," she said turning her head. "I kept my head parallel to my shoulder, and that's what saved me, because the tree branch was like two inches from my face."
"A couple more inches either direction and it could have been a fatal accident," said Palmer Fire Chief William Bernat, who said the storm did not cause a lot of other damage in Palmer. "It happened in an instant," he said.
"The only thing I can think of is that…there must be something yet in life that I still have to do," said Gallagher. "Because it is just a miracle."
