You Wouldn't Believe How Close That Was!

[roan]

A motorist was almost crushed yesterday as he drove beneath a large tree that was in the process of toppling over.

The near-miss was caught on camera by a Nelson resident and posted on video sharing website YouTube.

Police surrounded the tree, which stood outside Liquor King on the intersection of Collingwood and Hardy Streets in the middle of Nelson, as it swayed in high winds for some time before finally coming down with a loud thud just as a red car passed underneath.

Cameraman Dave Finlay said the driver had done a U-turn on Collingworth St about 3.30pm and drove back towards the tree. Police had run towards his vehicle to try and stop him from driving but it was too late.

"We were just driving around checking out what was happening in the town because the electricity had gone out, it was pretty windy," Mr Finlay said.

"We ended up there, there were a few people hanging around so we stood there and waited and that idiot did a U-Turn just as the tree fell and he was pretty lucky."

He said the man then stopped further up the road and police ran to speak with him.

"Everyone was urging the tree to fall and when it did, and that happened, everyone thought 'What was that guy smoking?'.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtCzlZogjZQ

[madonplants]

Did that really happen or was it a set up, i.e. someone pulled on a rope as the motorist came by? Sorry I'm very sceptical when these things happen.

[4pygmies]

;D He was lucky! And so was the owner of the blue building... We get a fair number of trees crashing onto roads around here, living in the middle of a forest, but the Forestry Commission are pretty vigilant about keeping the major routes clear of any risks. It's a scary thought some days though....

[roan]

Jul 31, 2008 0:40:41 GMT 1 @madonplants said:

Did that really happen or was it a set up, i.e. someone pulled on a rope as the motorist came by? Sorry I'm very sceptical when these things happen.

It was real:

ESCAPE A WEB HIT

Nelson businessman Paul Thomas has survived a brush with death to become an internet superstar.

The business broker was driving past a tree in storm-hit Nelson on Wednesday evening as it crashed to the ground. His Mitsubishi Diamante escaped with just a damaged aerial.

"It was a drama, but at the same time it wasn't. I got a bit of an adrenaline rush," he said.

The near-miss was captured via video-phone and posted on website YouTube attracting thousands of viewers.

As Thomas, 57, drove past the tree on the corner of Collingwood and Hardy streets, it fell toward his car.

"The cops were frantically waving to me and I thought I would carry on, but then I saw the tree coming down and I thought 'here we go'. I didn't speed up or slow down, I just kept going.

"I went to the gym afterwards and I told a mate and she looked at me as if to say `You come up with some lines, you do'. I came home after that and I had a beer and thought to myself `I was pretty lucky there'."

[madonplants]

It's surprising though, what people do to get on YouTube, believe me!! Still not convinced sorry. Why did he brake when the tree was coming down, to try and get hit by it?