LINCOLN, MASS. (WHDH) - One man taken to the hospital after a tree came crashing down onto his car while he was driving home from work in Lincoln Tuesday.
Paul Murphy says he was driving down Bedford Road when he heard a loud crack.
“It broke…so I swerved to the right, and ran right into it,” Murphy said.
The marine veteran from Hudson, New Hampshire says he strayed from his normal commute, opting to take back roads instead.
That’s when a massive tree came crashing down. Murphy says the roof of his SUV caved in, and the front of his car was damaged.
“I guess instinct just took over and I started climbing out of the vehicle,” Murphy recalled.
Murphy went to the hospital to be checked out.
In the meantime, crews worked to clear the tree and reopen the road. The fallen tree also took out some utility lines, but crews were able to quickly repair them.
Murphy says this incident won’t stop him from taking the back roads again.
“I would have to say it was just blind luck,” Murphy said. “I’m definitely going to take the backroads again. It’s so much easier than sitting on [route] 95 in the heat.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)