Close call as tree falls on car

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — A 65-year-old Somerville, New Brunswick woman escaped injury Friday when her vehicle was struck by a falling tree limb while driving in Houlton.
    Marilyn Cummings was traveling south on Court Street shortly before noon in a 2009 Pontiac sedan when high winds felled a large tree limb onto her car. The incident was reported to the Houlton Police Department via a 9-1-1 call placed by a passing motorist.
    “She told us she didn’t have time to react because she was practically under the tree when it started to fall,” said investigating officer Ezekiel Collins of the Houlton Police Department. “She told us she didn’t even remember applying the brakes. The weight of the tree on the car likely stopped it.”
    Collins said surprisingly the damage to Cummings car was not as extensive as he would have believed. The rear window to her vehicle popped out from the impact and there was minor damage to the front bumper. Cummings, who was not injured, was able to drive the vehicle away after the tree was cleared.
    “Other than some scrapes and scratches to the paint, the car was driveable,” Collins said.
    Firefighters from the Houlton Fire Department also responded to the scene to assist with cutting the tree off the vehicle. Cummings was alone in the car.
    The incident marks the second time this year that a large tree has fallen on Court Street due to high winds. Earlier in the summer a large tree crashed across Court Street near Pearce Brook, blocking the road for several hours.