Council workers cheat death after tree crushes van they're sitting in

Olivia Williams & Jolene Campbell
·2-min read
Workers lucky escape after toppled tree falls onto van
Workers lucky escape after toppled tree falls onto van -Credit:Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo


Council workers had a lucky escape after a falling tree crushed their van while they were inside.

Dog walker Robby Healey, 62, took video footage of the scene in Hatton Hill Park in Litherland, near Liverpool, as winds battered Merseyside.

In the shocking video one of the workers can be heard telling Robby they had "nearly died", after a tree toppled by high winds landed on the van smashing the windscreen.

The footage shows the front of the van mangled with a large fallen tree on the ground beside it, the Liverpool Echo reports.

In the clip, Robby can be heard telling them they were "so lucky" and to "put the lottery on later". He said: "As I was walking in the park I heard big crack and then a big crash.

"[The workers] were stood by the van and they were stunned. One of them said they were never getting in a van again. They were traumatised."

It's understood the men suffered minor injuries. Pictures of the aftermath showed the van and tree cordoned off.

Robby said his "heart was in his mouth" when he spotted the van as he couldn't see the men at first and thought they were still inside.

It came as the Met Office issued a yellow weather warning which has been in place since 1am today, Tuesday, April 9.

The HM Coastguard Southport has warned people to stay away from seafronts. According to forecasters, the strong winds could bring "hazardous" coastal conditions and could cause travel disruption.

The Met Office said that coastal routes, seafronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and large waves.

It said delays to road, rail air and ferry and transport were likely. Short term loss of power and other services is also expected.

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