Woman escapes injury as huge tree branch crashes down

A PASSER-by had a lucky escape when a huge tree branch came crashing down to the ground on a busy residential road just yards from her.

Shocked Alison Potter was walking home from the shops when the incident happened in Chorley yesterday.

Ms Potter said: “I’d just come under the opposite side and could hear this creaking and turned round and the whole branch just dropped.

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“It was like someone was looking out for me. A woman driving in a car was a bit shocked. She was really near it.”

The 51-year-old, of St Gregory’s Place, said she normally walked on the side of the road where the overhanging tree on Weldbank Lane is, but that yesterday for some reason chose the opposite side.

“For some reason something was telling me to cross over,” she said. “I do feel like I’ve had a lucky escape. You have this ‘I can’t believe this has happened thing’.

“I’m up and down here quite a lot, it’s my way into town.”

Another passer-by, Christine Johnson, 58, of Brindle Street, said: “I was just coming home when I saw this lady shook up. I thought someone had cut it down. It’s been coming over for a long time and they’ve not done anything about.”

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Police sealed off the road to traffic while the fallen branch was cleared away.

Bardsley construction workers from a nearby building site - the former Chorley Fire Station - rushed to help clear the roadway and to check if anyone had been injured.

PC Damian Whittle, based at Skelmersdale Police Station, said from the scene: “There was a report there was a tree down on the road. I put the road block up, but it was already closed, you couldn’t get any traffic thought. We’re seeing if we can get the tree checked out before the road reopens fully.”

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