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Firefighters rescued a driver Friday morning after wind gusts toppled a tree onto his Nissan Altima right near the Lombard Street firehouse.
The call for help came in at 8:46 a.m.
“It was kind of lucky. We were in front of the firehouse. Personnel were able to get there quick,” said Battalion Chief Ryan DiVito.
The resuce operation took 12 minutes. Members of Squad 1, under the direction of Captain Timothy Papp, stabilized the tree (which had also fallen on a second car). Then firefighters cut open the door to the quashed Ultima and removed the driver.
The driver appeared to escape serious injury, according to DiVito: “He was conscious and alert. He was talking to us. He knew what was going on.” The driver was transported to Yale-New Haven for evaluation.
Firefighters from Engine, Truck 3 and Engine 4 participated in the rescue along with Squad 1. The parks department sent a crew to clear the tree from the road, which had been blocked to traffic.
Another downed tree Friday, at Mitchell and Willow.