A father-of-five from Watford has described himself as miraculously lucky to be alive after a freak accident saw a gigantic tree collapse directly onto his van, trapping him and a friend inside.
A Terrifying Journey Cut Short
Scott Clarke, 43, was driving with his friend, William Martin, along Newhouse Crescent in Watford, Hertfordshire, on Tuesday evening. The gas engineer had just pulled away from outside his house when the routine journey turned into a nightmare. "We first of all noticed little branches coming down and then bang, the van came to an abrupt halt," Scott recounted.
The loud bang was the sound of a 30ft tree toppling onto the roof of their moving vehicle. The immense impact smashed the windscreen and left the two men shocked and shaken, but remarkably, without serious injury. Realising they were trapped, they had to wait for emergency services to arrive and cut them free.
Community Response and Long-Standing Fears
Neighbours rushed to the scene in a flash, offering help until the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service could take over. The incident caused significant disruption, with police warning people to stay away as the tree blocked the road and damaged vehicles. Emergency crews remained on the scene for at least five hours attempting to clear the carriageway.
The accident has ignited concerns among local residents, some of whom claim they had repeatedly warned about the dangerous state of the trees. Rebecca Ryan, who lives nearby, stated she had long been asking for that specific tree and two others to be cut down, convinced they were rotten and hazardous. "Somebody is going to die if nothing is done," she said, expressing fear that the remaining trees could also fall.
A Lucky Escape and A Stark Warning
Adding to the sense of a narrow escape, several residents pointed out that the incident occurred close to Future Academies Watford. One local noted online that it was fortunate it happened outside school hours, potentially averting a tragedy. They urged the school to warn pupils to avoid the area until the other trees are removed.
In a sobering revelation, Scott mentioned that neighbours had since told him the tree that fell had been "assessed very recently to be taken down". Despite the shock and minor cuts from the shattered glass, Scott and William are counting their blessings. "We are both thankful and lucky we're fine and no one was killed," Scott said, reflecting on an event that could have ended very differently.
