MENDON, MASS. (WHDH) – A wood chipper broke loose from a truck and crashed into a house in Mendon on Monday, eventually coming to a rest in the living room, officials said.
Firefighters responding to 40 Providence St. shortly before 1 p.m. found a wood chipper that had wiped out the front corner of the home, according to the Mendon Fire Department.
Malcom Clifton and his wife, who is in a wheelchair, say they are feeling blessed that they were in another room at the time and were not injured.
“When it came through the living room, my wife was in the back bedroom and she said, ‘What’s that noise?’ I came out and looked and I said, ‘You’re not going to believe this,” Clifton said.
The woodchipper destroyed the living room where the couple usually read and watch TV; sending debris flying in every direction
“That chair is where I usually sit and read the paper and the magazines,” Clifton said. “That’s where it came through into the living room.”
Police say a truck was hauling that massive piece of machinery when it suddenly came loose.
“It let go from the truck, came through, hit the telephone pole, went down in front of the house, went through the tree and right through the house,” Clifton’s daughter Theresa said. “We are just grateful they are OK.”
Clifton believes a higher power was looking out for him and his wife.
Although the chipper has since been removed.
Video from SKY7 HD showed repair crews hanging a tarp over the walls that were knocked down.
The couple is staying the night in a motel.
An investigation is underway to determine how the wood chipper could have detached from the truck.
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