Ben and Shelly Kerstein and her brother Michael were walking in Brooklyn, New York, on their way to a family gathering. As they passed a gnarly-looking tree, they talked about how old it looked. The tree must have heard them talking smack and chose that exact moment to topple. The falling tree barely missed them as they hurried out of the path.
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A surveillance camera recorded the moment. As the three approach the tree, and just as they are abreast of it, they hear it cracking and begin running. The tree comes crashing down, narrowly missing them. As they reached a safe distance, they turned to stare at the huge tree lying where they had just passed. On the video, the center of the trunk appears hollow and completely rotten as it falls.
The three consider their good fortune a miracle. In an interview with a New York City-based TV station, Shelly said, “We ran and the whole thing splintered to pieces and because it was so old, it splintered to dust. And as you see in the video we are just standing in complete and utter shock about what happened.” The Associated Press footage shows how the falling tree disintegrated as it crashed to the ground.
Whether you consider this narrow escape pure luck or divine intervention, the event is astonishing. During interviews, the family noted that one or two seconds would have resulted differently. If their children had been behind them, it could have been catastrophic. Even though the top of the tree was cut off some time ago and crumbled as it struck, it was heavy enough to crush the family.
This is a moment for smiles, as they are indeed fortunate.
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