- Marilyn Fuss, 64, from Adelaide, SA, came home when a tree branch fell in their driveway
- The branch crushed her husband John, and Marilyn was also injured
- It took firies 30 minutes to cut the enormous tree off John
Here she shares her own story in her own words.
Driving home after work one evening, I rolled down the car window.
What a beautiful day, I thought.
It was March this year, and the air was warm and still. I’d spent the day at the childcare centre where I worked, and was keen to unwind with my adorable chihuahuas, Taco and Tilly, in front of the TV.
Turning into the driveway of our home, I saw that my husband, John, then 70, had just arrived back from taking the dogs for a walk.
‘I heard a loud cracking sound.’
‘Hi, love!’ he called out, as I parked the car and climbed out, the pups excitedly licking my legs.
‘Hello, babies!’ I beamed, bending over to pat them.
Suddenly, I heard a loud cracking sound coming from the eight-metre tall, one-metre wide gumtree that was planted on the council verge.
Realising the tree was about to come crashing down, I turned to my hubby, who was also in the driveway, about four metres from me.
‘John! Look out!’ I screamed.
But there was no time to react. The massive branch crashed down and landed right on top of John. The force catapulted him six metres onto the road and pinned him to the ground by his chest.
My hubby had been crushed by a tree! And now he was trapped beneath it!
Before I even had time to scream his name, I had a sinking feeling that I was in danger too.
Instinctively, I put my arms above my head to try and protect myself from anything else that might be going to fall.
Within milliseconds I felt a colossal whack on my forearms and the back of my head, the impact knocking me to the ground.
I must’ve blacked out, because the sound of John calling my name over and over finally registered.
Sitting up, I touched my scalp, and could feel a massive gash, as blood poured down my face and neck.
‘Pain coursed through my body.’
It was the same branch that had hit John – the thick bit that was originally attached to the tree must have hit me, after the end with leaves struck John.
Miraculously, the branch had missed the pups, who hadn’t wandered far.
Staying put, pain coursed through my body. I knew there was no way I could pick up the humungous branch off John, even if I could stand up.
Thankfully, John, whose arms were free, was able to reach the phone in his pocket and call emergency services.
Meanwhile, I called our daughter, Hayley, 28, who was at work, to let her know what had happened.
‘I’ll meet you at the hospital,’ she cried.
Our lovely neighbour had heard the commotion and ran to help.
She put tea towels on my head to help stem the bleeding, and took the phone off John to speak with emergency services.
Within minutes, several firefighters turned up and set to work on getting the 100 kilo branch off John.
As paramedics wrapped me in bandages, it took the firies 30 minutes to cut the enormous tree into pieces with a chainsaw.
When John was finally free, we were both rushed to Flinders Medical Centre.
There, we were given pain relief before the 5cm hole in my head was stapled back together.
Thankfully, aside from minor cuts and bruises, CT scans showed that John had escaped any spinal injuries.
‘We were grateful to be alive.’
‘You could’ve died!’ my son Matthew, 33, said, when he and Hayley came to visit.
Our youngest, Mitchell, 24, was on holiday in Japan, so we decided not to tell him until he was home as we didn’t want to worry him.
Discharged the following day, we were grateful to be alive.
After reporting our near-death incident to the council, they made it a top priority to trim the gum to prevent accidents like this in the future.
It was a mystery to us as to why the branch had fallen on such a dead-still day.
A week later, still in pain on my right side, I had an X-ray at Ashford Hospital that confirmed my left shoulder was broken.
I also had bruising on my right side between my ribs.
No wonder I’m so sore, I winced.
Given anti-inflammatories after my arm was put in a sling, I’m now having physio to help get movement back.
Three months on, I’m back at work but continue managing my pain.
John, who still has some pain in his left shoulder, is lucky to be alive. If the branch had hit him just a few centimetres higher, on his neck or face, he might not have lived to tell the tale.
‘Every moment we have together is a blessing.’
Now we’re focused on making memories with our family.
Matthew has a bub on the way, and I can’t wait to be their grandma!
Every moment we have together is a blessing.
