A driver in Jerusalem is thanking firefighters for yanking her out of a car just seconds before a huge tree slammed down on to it, destroying her vehicle but at least missing her head.
Jerusalem District Firefighters spokesperson Udi Gal confirmed that firefighters were called to deal with a large tree that had collapsed on to live power lines Monday afternoon on Queen Esther Street in the capital.
As tree removal operations were underway, firefighters suddenly heard creaking sounds from another tree nearby.
Team leader Sgt.-Maj. Daniel said he saw the tree was swaying, and just about to fall on a car being driven by a woman nearby.
“At great personal risk, firefighters raced to the vehicle and quickly removed the woman from the car,” Gal said in a statement.
“Seconds later the tree fell down on to the roof of the vehicle, exactly on to the place where the woman had been seated just moments before. Only through mazel, and the professionalism, courage and dedication of the firefighters who rushed to save her was the driver saved from being injured by the collapse of that tree on her car.”
Firefighter team commander Shalom Ramati, who pulled the woman out of the car, added that it was literally “a second or two after I got her out of that car, that the tree collapsed on the vehicle. Im happy I was able at the last minute to prevent this driver from being in a terrible accident.”
Its not clear why the trees were so unstable in that area of the city at this time of year, even though there have been high winds over the past few days.