A married couple narrowly escaped death when a large tree fell on their car, missing them by mere centimetres. The incident occurred during stormy weather, highlighting the recent spate of falling trees in Penang.
The couple, who chose to remain anonymous, were driving along the Jalan Raja Uda-Jalan Siram intersection when the tree fell on their car. The wife, who is six months pregnant, had decided to sit in the rear seat, a decision that proved to be life-saving. The tree’s main branch, which was at least 30cm in diameter, crumpled the car roof and crashed squarely onto the front passenger seat.
The incident happened in front of a Hindu temple, where devotees were performing their morning prayers. Devotee K. Raman Nair, 60, heard the crash and rushed to the scene. “I called out to everyone in the temple to come out and help,” he said. Relief came quickly when they saw that the couple trapped inside were alive, though in a state of shock.
The car was badly damaged, making it impossible to force open the doors manually. However, as the windows were cracked, Raman Nair and the others smashed the glass with their elbows and pulled the couple out. The woman escaped unscathed, while her husband walked away with minor cuts to his arms from the broken glass.
“I saw how the front passenger seat was crushed by the tree. It was so lucky that the wife sat in the back instead of the front,” Raman Nair said.
Bagan MCA treasurer Henry Tan, who was nearby, rushed to the scene in time to see the victims rescued. He said he was able to converse with them to ascertain they were fine. “They asked not to be identified and expressed their gratitude to the Hindu devotees who saved them,” he said.
This incident is part of a larger trend of falling trees in Penang. In recent months, several similar incidents have been reported. For instance, a couple escaped death after a massive tree fell on their motorcycle at Jalan Burma, resulting in only minor injuries.
In May, two men cheated death in Alor Setar after a massive tree fell on their vehicles at Jalan Datuk Kumbar. Also in May, a huge Angsana tree on Jalan Macalister was uprooted and fell, damaging four parked cars. No injuries were reported in this incident.
Another incident in May saw a man die and two others injured after a giant tree fell onto Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpur, damaging 17 vehicles.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow reported that the state has recorded more than 200 roadside trees falling at 133 locations on the island side alone during stormy weather.
These incidents underscore the importance of tree maintenance and public safety measures, especially during adverse weather conditions.
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