'I thought a bomb went off': Stanley family describes moment tree fell on home

STANLEY, N.C. — It felt like an earthquake - that is how a Stanley family described the moment when a tree crashed down onto their home Sunday afternoon.

"I sat on my bed and the next thing I know the whole house shakes. It was like a big boom. I thought a bomb went off," daughter Leslie Hilliard said.

Arborists said all the rain the area has received recently can weaken older trees at the root.

Watch the video above as Channel 9's Gaston County reporter Ken Lemon speaks with the family of four, who said they are lucky to be alive. 

Cox Media Group