100-Foot Tree Crashes Down on Pickup Truck, but Everybody Inside Survives: ‘They Were Extremely Lucky’

Three individuals were hospitalized Monday morning after a massive pine tree collapsed onto their pickup truck while traveling through the Leominster State Forest. Emergency responders described the incident as a “miracle” survival after large branches pierced the vehicle’s cabin, narrowly missing the occupants.

The accident occurred at approximately 7 a.m. on Fitchburg Road. According to local authorities, a 100-foot pine tree uprooted and fell directly onto a pickup truck carrying three employees of a local paving company.

Ruzbin Martinez, owner of New Era Paving, was traveling in a separate vehicle ahead of the victims. Martinez reported seeing the aftermath in his rearview mirror as the truck veered into the center of the roadway, followed by a sudden plume of smoke.

Princeton Fire Chief John Bennett confirmed that the force of the impact caused a branch to spear through the windshield, while another penetrated the engine block, sparking a small fire.

“They were extremely lucky,” Chief Bennett stated. “One branch basically came through the windshield and missed both [front] passengers, and then another came through the back of the vehicle and just missed the passenger in the back.”

Emergency crews arrived to find one passenger trapped inside the wreckage. First responders successfully extricated the individual before transporting all three victims to UMASS Medical Center in Worcester.

While the identities of the victims have not been publicly released, officials provided an update on their conditions:

• Two passengers sustained significant leg injuries and are expected to undergo surgery.
• The third occupant was treated and has since been released from the hospital.

The road was temporarily closed on Monday to allow crews to remove the massive tree and the totaled vehicle. While the Princeton Fire Department has not cited a specific cause for the tree’s collapse, the incident highlights the ongoing risks of aging timber in state-managed forest corridors.

Fitchburg Road has since been reopened to traffic. Local authorities continue to monitor the area for additional hazardous trees following the event.