A Toronto man is lucky to have escaped without serious injury after a large limb from a maple tree came crashing down on his vehicle while he sat in the driver's seat.
Powerful winds brought down the 80-year-old Norway maple tree branch onto the Volkswagen Jetta at about 9 a.m. Friday while Nick Cruz parked the vehicle on Claude Avenue, near Parkside Drive and The Queensway.
"Suddenly, I heard a loud sound," Cruz told CTV Toronto. "I didn't know what happened. I had no idea why the roof caved in."
The limb missed the man by inches, and he was able to exit the vehicle on his own. He didn't even suffer a scratch, but was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital as a precaution.
Cruz felt bad because he borrowed the vehicle from his sister.
Those who live on the street couldn't believe what they saw.
"The car was flat ... and I said, 'Oh my gosh, somebody's in the car,'" said local resident Elizabeth Schreuders. "I ran over and asked him if he was okay and he said he was alright."
The massive branch also damaged three other vehicles, smashing out the rear window of one car.
"The sound, the noise was incredibly loud, and it just shocked you," said neighbour Wilma Schreuders.
"I thought it was a transport trailer taking out half the street. It was like an explosion."
Damage caused by the wind appeared to be isolated to the small street. Crews were expected to be cleaning up the mess well into the afternoon.
With a report from CTV Toronto's John Musselman
