By Callum Ludwig
A motorist had a lucky escape in Launching Place on Tuesday 3 October as a fallen tree came crashing down across the bonnet of her car.
Thankfully, the sole occupant avoided serious injury and was rescued by a passerby as emergency services responded to the call.
Hillcrest CFA Captain Colin Dickson responded to the alert for a possible rescue and said they were uncertain whether the driver was trapped from initial reports.
“Fortunately a passerby who was a gardening type of person had actually got his chainsaw out and removed part of the tree so the driver of the vehicle could get out,” he said.
“She was shaken but appeared uninjured which was great,” he said.
Branches of the tree came close to piercing the windshield of the car, with the trunk smashing through the car just ahead of the front tire.
Mr Dickson said CFA, Upper Yarra SES, Ambulance Victoria and Victoria Police personnel responded to the incident.
“The SES went about removing the tree off the top of the car, Ambulance Victoria looked after the person who was taken off to the hospital just for observation and to get her checked over,” he said.
“Police attended and Wickhams Road was back open shortly after, so it was a good outcome, although a little bit confronting when you see a big tree down across the road and the front of the car.”
Heavy rain can cause the ground to become softer underneath trees and make them more likely to uproot or fall.
Upper Yarra SES Deputy Controller Hannah Brunton said similar incidents are even more likely now as we’ve had such a wet and miserable couple of years prior
“Everything is a little bit undermined and crap, we get a little bit of water now and everything sort of just falls down because a lot of it has just rotted where it is,” she said.
“Be mindful and vigilant when you’re driving, avoid distractions and keep an eye on what’s around you as well as avoid driving when it’s windier or if it’s super wet like that, because you just don’t know what’s gonna happen.”
If you see a fallen tree that has struck someone or a building that may have people inside, immediately call 000. To report a road issue such as a fallen tree on an arterial road like a highway, visit: www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/traffic-and-road-use/report-a-road-issue. On local Yarra Ranges roads, visit: www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au/Environment/Trees-and-vegetation/Report-a-tree-issue-on-public-land.
Mr Dickson said he has noticed trees are often suspect to falling in the Upper Yarra when there has been heavy rain and there is a south-westerly wind.
“When we have that non-standard wind direction it tends to upset the trees a bit more and there’s not much else more you can do about it really other than to try and be as aware of your surroundings as you can,” he said.
“In CFA we’re instructed to always look out for what we call hangers, branches that have broken off and they’re actually dislodged up in the tree and which can very easily get dislodged in the breeze and fall,”
“It’s tougher obviously with trees or while driving, but trees that are on excessive leans are often an indicator and if you’re on the ground you can actually have a look and see if the actual roots have started to raise up out of the ground.”
