By Don Sweeney
The Charlotte Observer
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. — A giant tree fell on a pickup truck outside a home, trapping a young girl on her way to school inside, California firefighters reported.
The girl’s father told firefighters he had gone back inside for a moment when the tree fell on his truck around 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, outside their Saratoga home, the Santa Clara County Fire Department said in a news release.
Firefighters extricated the 12-year-old girl after the tree nearly sliced the pickup truck in half, KRON reported.
“We were very lucky,” Capt. Matt Mokhtarian told KNTV. “Just a matter of feet in this scenario.”
Photos posted by the fire district show the yellow truck crushed beneath the gigantic tree.
The girl was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, firefighters said. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. workers also responded to secure downed power lines.
“With saturated soils and heavy wind, trees are at risk of falling,” firefighters wrote. “Stay aware of your surroundings as much as possible”
A series of storms, known as an “atmospheric river,” has begun slamming the West Coast, with heavy rain and high winds forecast for the next several days, the National Weather Service said.
Saratoga is about 50 miles southeast of San Francisco.
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