STATESVILLE, N.C. — A combat medic veteran helped get a man and a child out of an SUV Thursday after a large tree fell on it.
The two were trapped. The vet had to climb over tree limbs to get to the vehicle on East Broad Street near Interstate 77 in Statesville.
The tree fell after rounds of rainfall.
“My reaction when I saw it is, ‘Man, that tree just fell on that car. We need to see if everyone is OK,’” said veteran Trevor Tompkins. “We had to fight through the trees. I was standing on top of that branch. I was behind the car, and we pulled them out. And everybody is OK.”
Tompkins said he was glad he could help and spoke with the family afterward.
They thanked him.
“So it was pretty cool,” Tompkins said.
There were minor injuries in the incident, witnesses said.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation brought in heavy equipment to remove the tree.
Terrell Parks watched as the NCDOT used chainsaws to cut away the limbs and a track hoe lifted them off the car. He is thankful Tompkins was here to help.
“That was awesome,” Parks said. “That’s a hero, and I always look up to them because they’re always good people.”
The traffic light will be fixed, officials said.
This is a developing story. Check back with wsoctv.com and watch Eyewitness News for updates.