A second either way and it could have been a narrow escape or devastation

Monday 12th September 2016 – 6.02pm – Murray MacGregor.

As the advert used to say: “That’s more than lucky!”

Three men have had an astonishing escape after a tree fell early on Saturday morning taking out power cables and landing on the van that they were in.

The incident happened on Main Road in the Betley area of Newcastle Under Lyme at just after 8.00am on Saturday morning.

An ambulance and a paramedic area support officer were sent to the scene.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “When we arrived it was a scene of devastation with a large tree in the road.  As well as taking down the power cables, which knocked the electricity off to a number of neighbouring properties, the tree had landed on the ‘Luton’ style box van.

“It had completely destroyed the box section, pulling the tail lift off, smashing the windscreen and denting the ‘A’ pillar; it had completely blocked the road with debris.

“Amazingly, the three men in the van were uninjured, though it must have been a real shock to them.

“A matter of seconds either way and the van might have escaped completely undamaged; but equally, the large tree trunk could have landed on the cab with potentially devastating consequences.  All in all, they are three very lucky guys.”

Ends

betley-tree-fall-10-09-16-1

betley-tree-fall-10-09-16-3

betley-tree-fall-10-09-16-2

Leave a Reply