SEATTLE — Tyson Ramirez was driving home Tuesday night near the intersection of 35th Avenue and Southwest 100th Street when a tree came crashing down right on top of his car.
“I kind of just slumped back in my chair, in my seat a little bit bracing for impact, and sure enough, the tree crashes, crashes through my car, smashes my roof," he said. Ramirez said he realized something was about to hit his car but wasn't quite sure what it was.
“I didn’t know at the time if it was just a big branch, lo and behold it was the actual body of the tree," he said. Ramirez said the tree pinned him in, so he was unable to get out of the car. He could move to the passenger side but still could not get out.
“I tried to open my driver’s side, no use. The tree was totally horizontal on my car, pinning both the driver’s side and passenger side door, and I was stuck," he said.
Bystanders stopped to try and help and called 911. He said one of the bystanders even took photos for him.
"She said, well do you want me to take your picture and her reasoning was you may never get to see this angle again and at first, it threw me off, but she was right," he said.
Ramirez said he was pinned in the car for about 90 minutes before firefighters could get him out. His parents arrived on the scene, anxiously waiting for him to be brought to safety.
“Once I was pulled out, I gave them the tightest hug. I was so thankful to go home that night," he said. His mom said she's grateful her son came out of that completely unscathed.
“Whether it be angels, whether it be God, the amazing firefighters, Squad 31, I was really blessed that night," Ramirez said. “It was really a lot of shock, but also, even in the moment, as I was trapped, a bit of gratefulness to know I’m OK.”
Ramirez said his car is a total loss, and he is trying to get a new one. His family set up an online fundraiser to help him pay for it.
Ramirez is a Ph.D. student at UW studying economics.