Oregon couple recounts being trapped in car after tree fall
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CANBY, Ore. – Chris Natelborg said the minutes seemed like hours as he and his wife Tymona waited for help.
The couple had just parked in front of Tymona’s parents’ house when 100-foot tall tree crashed down on their car Sunday afternoon.
“I just remember chaos after that,” said Chris Natelborg. “With the windows shattering and the roof coming down. Disbelief in my head, like, is this a dream?”
The tree’s roots were rotten. A gust of wind knocked it over.
Chris fractured his shoulder, but that was the worst of their injuries.
“My chest was on the center console,” he said. “The roof was on my back, so just enough room for my torso to fit in there and Tymona was on the floor. She had her seat belt off so she was able to get on the floor quick.”
They called 9-1-1 from the car. Rescue crew members pulled them out through the passenger side window.
Chris said it was all over in about ten minutes.
“It felt like an eternity while we were in there,” he said.
Chris said he didn’t usually park his car in that particular spot in front of his in-laws’ house. This time though, he was glad he did.
“We’re just thankful that normally, where the tree fell, my brother and his wife park there with my nieces on Sundays, and they were late. So I’m glad it didn’t fall on them,” he said.
“We’re just thankful. Counting our blessings for sure.”
God is great and God is good. Thankful they are OK.
Those pictures are crazy! Wow! If the they had positioned the car just a little bit differently things may not have turned out so well for them. And one can definitely see that had his brother parked there with his little ones in the backseats one of them would have been seriously hurt or killed for sure. Praise God that everything turned out okay! I'm sure it makes them treasure life just a little bit more!