Tree falls and crushes car on test drive in West Sussex village
A tree fell and crushed a car – on a test drive from a local garage – in a West Sussex village during Storm Bert yesterday (Sunday).
A family in the car had a narrow escape when the tree toppled onto the Fiat Punto in Five Oaks Road, Slinfold.
The vehicle was on a test drive from nearby Lyons Farm Cars. Garage owner Paul Chinnery said: “It was quite shocking. We’re just relieved that everyone is OK.”
The car was being driven by a dad who was testing it before deciding whether to buy it for his mum, who was also in the vehicle along with his daughter, when the tree fell.
"We have a lot of regular customers,” said Paul. “They went on a test drive by themselves and went off up the road. The next thing I knew, the driver literally fell into the road. He was exhausted and I said ‘Are you OK?’ and he kept saying ‘Tree.’
"Luckily he saw the tree going, but couldn’t stop in time. He steered the car into a ditch. If he hadn’t the tree would have landed on the passenger compartment of the car. They were really shaken up but they were so lucky.”
He said the driver later kept apologising and said that if the car could be repaired, he would still like to buy it for his mother. “I said we would see what we could do but the vehicle has to be safe.”
Five Oaks Road was shut for about four hours while the car was recovered and emergency workers cleared the tree debris.
Lyons Farm Cars, which has been in business for the past 20 years, also runs Bunny Motors which sells Fiats with the aim of raising funds for animal and cancer charities, including Brighton-based Helping Paws, which gives money to small animal charities across the world, and the Spanish charity SOS Podenco Rescue.
The car involved in Sunday’s crash was one of Bunny Motors Fiat Puntos. “It had a glass roof,” said Paul. “But they are robust cars and have very tough body shells. We’re just relieved everyone is OK, although shaken up.”