Falling tree branch crushes car! Dad-to-be a metre from death.
By Tim Howard
An Eatonsville business owner has escaped death by inches after a falling tree limb crushed his utility while he drove along a Grafton street.
On Thursday morning last week the owner of Twin Rivers Construction, Darby Bale, was driving along Villiers St, driving from one construction site to another when a giant limb from a ficus tree fell onto the bonnet of his Mazda BT-50 ute.
“If I’d been a metre further along, the tree would have crushed the cabin. I’d be dead,” he said.
“I didn’t see it fall. At the very last second I caught a glimpse of something as it hit the bonnet and I came to a fatal stop.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like this. There wasn’t a breath of wind, so there was no reason to expect anything.”
Mr Bale said his ute was written off completely.
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A huge gash in the trunk of ficus tree in Villiers St Grafton, indicates the size of the branch which crushed a utility driving under it. The driver escaped injury or death by about a metre
“The tree branch crushed the front of the cabin and put a V-shape into the chassis,” he said.
“Luckily all that happened to me was a got a couple of cuts on my hands – maybe when the windshield fell in – and some bruising from the seat belt.”
Mr Bale was shaken by the incident and what it might have meant to his young family if his luck had run out.
“Casey, my wife is due to have our second (child) in two weeks,” he said. “And we have a toddler, Lilla.
“Just the thought of me not being around, leaving Casey with our two little ones, makes me shudder.”
Mr Bale said from the look of the tree, the branch fell because it’s core had rotted.
“I would like the council to at least pay the excess on my insurance,” he said.
“It’s the least they can do to, if they’re going to have trees with branches hanging across the street.”
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Residents who came to help said two similar trees in the same block had been poisoned.
Those trees had lost leaves and had been scheduled for removal.
Clarence Valley Council’s manager open space and facilities Peter Birch said the council was aware vandals had poisoned two other trees, but thought it unlikely they were linked to the fallen branch.
“The ficus tree which dropped a major limb on Villiers St on Thursday had not revealed any obvious signs that it posed a serious risk when it was last assessed,” he said.
“It was also quite an unusual event for this particular species.
“Council is aware of two nearby ficus trees which have been poisoned beyond recovery and is planning for their removal in coming weeks.
“Upon initial inspection there is no obvious connection between the fallen limb and the tree vandalism event.
“However, the possibility that the root systems of the trees are intertwined, and therefore the tree came into contact with the poisonous substance, cannot be discounted.”
Mr Birch said council needed to balance the many environmental, ecological, social, economic, cultural and aesthetic benefits to urban trees against the potential safety risks.
“Risk management is an important part of the Clarence Valley Urban Tree Management Strategy to identify potential hazards, as well as tree maintenance and removal works,” he said.
He also had a word of warning to people who poisoned the two other trees.
“Tree vandalism is not tolerated by council and action can be taken in accordance with our Enforcement Policy and Rewards Policy,” he said.
“If anyone has information in relation to the tree vandalism in Villiers Street, Grafton, please notify council using the Report It tool.
Mr Birch said the council maintains more than 7000 trees on Grafton streets and parks.
He said the management of the urban forest took considerable effort and planning to provide a safe environment for the community.
While council takes all possible steps to mitigate risks, unforeseen incidents may occur.
“We acknowledge this latest incident was alarming for members of the community, and are grateful the driver of the struck vehicle was not injured,” Mr Birch said.
“Staff responded immediately to clear the site on Thursday, and investigations into the incident are ongoing.”