Published June 6, 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v/Wd1XcC_4_w0
The skies were calm in Washington Square when David Hults left home in his Subaru hatchback and headed east on Beacon Street.
By the time he reached the edge of Coolidge Corner, about five blocks later, Hults hit a wall of rain and hail.
“Stopped at the light. Heard a crack. Boom! Straight through the car.”
A massive tree fell and totalled his car. Hults got out, uninjured but in shock.
“This is unreal,” he thought. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
I was sitting in my apartment, just across the street, when the power blipped off. Then I heard the sirens from all directions and ran outside, still in my flip flops.
I found Hults talking to a firefighter, telling her he was OK and that he had been wearing a seat belt. I recorded my interview with him on my iPhone.
The Subaru and a parked Toyota Camry were pulverized. No one was inside the Camry. Workers used chainsaws and heavy-duty machinery to free the cars. It took about four hours, but a tow truck has finally hauled the remains away.
This car was parked when the tree fell; no one was inside. (Andrew Phelps/WBUR)
(Andrew Phelps/WBUR)
