Huge tree topples onto commuter
A Hamilton commuter had a lucky escape and a Waikato school was struck by a mini tornado
A driver whose car was caught under a massive oak tree as it toppled says he may not have walked away from the drama if he’d been only a car length further forward.
The tree came down on cars driving along River Rd in Hamilton shortly before 9am yesterday near the intersection with Clarkin Rd as commuters made their way into the city.
Two cars that appeared to have been heading into town when the tree fell were left partially crushed under the debris outside Waikato Diocesan School for Girls.
Inside the second vehicle was Riaan Botha, 47.
Driving south along River Rd into the city, he was heading to work like he does most mornings.
Traffic crawling, suddenly he heard a sound ‘‘like thunder’’. Suddenly, the branch of an oak tree came crashing through the windscreen and onto the roof of his Hyundai.
‘‘Had I been one car length further forward, it could’ve been very different,’’ Botha said about an hour after the near-miss. In front of him, another car also suffered damage.
Botha said he was ‘‘shocked’’ after the tree fell. His thoughts turned immediately to his family.
‘‘I have a wife and two children and your thoughts go there instantly, of course. My daughter was actually supposed to use the car to go for her restricted licence tomorrow – that won’t be happening now,’’ he said.
Botha would spend the rest of the day working from home and dealing with the insurance claim for his vehicle.
‘‘Just this morning I was making the bed with my wife and I said to her, you do this together every day, then something happens, and you’re doing it alone – I’m glad everything’s OK.’’
The tree had been recently checked for its integrity by staff and was deemed safe, according to Maria Barrie, the council’s parks and recreation manager.
Barrie said the council will be re-evaluating other trees to prevent a similar incident from occurring again with the results of the evaluation informing next steps.
‘‘We’ll be doing a full investigation to find out why the tree fell. The results of that investigation will inform what we do next,’’ Barrie said.
Further bad weather is on its way too. Brought about by several fronts and troughs, the weather system will move across the country in a northwesterly direction, bringing with it periods of rain, showers, thunderstorms and also strong winds, MetService says.
Residents in Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taupō can expect further heavy rain from tomorrow morning.