by Steve Bradley
A 34 year old man and his son narrowly escaped serious injury Sunday evening when a large tree split and fell onto their pickup truck, just missing the cab. The truck sustained extensive damage from the split of the tree, which was approximately 16 – 20 inches in diameter where it came into contact with the truck. The truck was pulling a 14 foot enclosed trailer.
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The truck occupants were headed home to Pittsfield, MA. after competing in a motocross event in the Paradox Lake area. The man had a small cut on the left side of his head, very minor considering a four inch thick branch came through the windshield directly in front of him. The boy, who was about twelve years old, was unhurt.
The accident occurred just south of the Route 22 / Johnson Hill Road intersection, directly in front of the Cornerstone Fellowship Church, during the severe thunderstorm outbreak in the area. The split came from a large maple tree on the west side of the road. Torrential rain and high winds were happening at the time of the incident. The base of the split broke from the tree twelve feet above the ground. The man said visibility was poor and there was nothing he could do.
“I saw leaves falling but the tree was on the truck before I could react.” he said.
The North Hoosick Fire Department responded to the scene, along with the Hoosick Falls Fire Department for traffic control and the Rensselaer County Sheriffs Department. Traffic was routed through the church parking area for over an hour. The NHFD cleared the split from the vehicle and the road with chainsaws and a tractor with a bucket loader. Cahill’s Auto Salvage removed the truck from the scene with a carry-back and towed away the trailer with a second truck. Cornerstone Fellowship Church Pastor Mike Benoit and his friends were very helpful by immediately removing any wood chunks that would fit into a woodstove.[/private]