Watch motorists' lucky escape when tree branch falls into road after being clipped by lorry

Drivers had a lucky escape when a tree was clipped by a lorry and fell into the road missing them by just a matter of feet.

The incident happened on Flatts Lane in Normanby when motorists were driving along the country lane and by a sheer stroke of luck the tree trunk fell between two cars travelling in opposite directions. And, in a show of solidarity numerous drivers and passengers pitched in to move the tree - taking four men to lift it.

Pensioner Alan Fletcher was in the car having picked up his granddaughter, 12-year-old Chloe, and her friend up from school, and managed to capture the incident on his dashcam. He was travelling toward the lorry, but could never have imagined what would happen next. The HGV clipped part of an overhanging tree and it brought the enormous branch crashing into the road in front of Alan's car.

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The 71-year-old from Teessville said: "Everyone was so lucky, it could have been much, much worse. The driver of the lorry was a lovely man and kept apologising, but everyone was saying it wasn't his fault the branch shouldn't have been hanging so low. I do praise him because had he lost control of his vehicle it could have come over into our lane and landed on top of us."

Alan added: "It was wonderful to see everyone getting out of their cars and coming together to clear the road. I couldn't help because I am disabled, but even Casey got out of the car to help with the clear up. The tree was much bigger than it looked on the video."

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