ATLANTA — Firefighters rescued a man Friday after he got trapped in a truck when a massive oak tree crashed down on top of it.
The tree fell while firefighters were already in the neighborhood to check out downed power lines. It happened around 12:30 p.m. along Blackland Road in Buckhead.
[DOWNLOAD: WSB-TV's Weather App for severe weather alerts]
An Atlanta firefighter captured video of the moments firefighters carried the delivery driver out of his truck and out of the way of danger.
*VIDEO* Atlanta Firefighters were able to successfully extricate one male from a box truck that was crushed by a large oak tree. Tree branches also landed on Engine 26. The FF in the truck at the time was able to escape uninjured. #AFRD pic.twitter.com/S9K3G1xrQG
— Atlanta Fire Rescue (@ATLFireRescue) April 19, 2019
Part of the tree fell on a fire engine too.
“The driver of our engine was able to escape the engine uninjured and he was not trapped inside,” said Sgt. Cortez Stafford with Atlanta Fire Rescue.
[COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: Damage after line of strong storms moved through metro]
Firefighters told Channel 2's Matt Johnson when they saw the tree fall, they rushed to help the driver and kept their composure after the initial shock.
“Obviously, that caused a scare and alert for our guys here on the scene for a large tree to come down out of nowhere,” Stafford said.
Firefighters told Johnson that the delivery driver had minor injuries but could have been hurt worse if not for quick thinking.
[PHOTOS: Severe weather knocks down trees, washes out roads in metro Atlanta]
Blackland Rd @ Putnam Drive. As FF’s were taking care of another call a large oak tree fell down onto Engine 26 and delivery truck on the street. The driver of the delivery truck was trapped inside until crews could extricate him safely. #AFRD pic.twitter.com/26BUJAQoVC
— Atlanta Fire Rescue (@ATLFireRescue) April 19, 2019
“He kind of scooted over once the tree came down into the passenger seat which may have prevented further injuries from the tree weighing down on the cab of the vehicle,” Stafford said.
The driver is expected to be OK, but the tree made for even more work for power crews.
Several hours after the rescue, power remained out in the neighborhood. Crews worked into the night to chop up and remove the oak tree and take care of loose power lines.
Neighbors were without electricity for about nine hours Friday before crews were able to restore power.
Cox Media Group
