GOSHEN, Ark. — Angelica Altamirano was driving home from work near Goshen on Thursday when a tree collapsed and fell on her car.
“I saw this tree, but it happened in the blink of an eye,” Altamirano said.
According to the Goshen Fire District Facebook page, crews found her trapped inside her truck on Beav-O-Rama Road.
Goshen fire crews had experienced a surge of calls during yesterday’s storm. Altamirano left work before the storm had gotten bad.
“My fiancé actually texted me saying ‘you should go home because of the storm,'” Altamirano said. “I knew people were talking about the storm, but it didn't seem as bad for me.”
Altamirano stated that her phone noticed she was in an accident, which made it easy for her to call for help.
According to Altamirano, a fireman arrived about five minutes after her initial 911 call. He helped get her out of the car and keep her calm.
“He looked all around me,” Altamirano said. “He tried opening the door and saw that the door didn't open, then he got to the passenger side, and he had a very calm manner because I was a mess.”
Even after emergency personnel arrived, the community came out to help.
“There were neighbors that were actually coming down,” Altamirano said. “My brother-in-law saw people with chainsaws just cutting up trees. It was like a whole community like coming together with everybody helping.”
Other than a bruise on her arm, Altamirano says she suffered no other injuries, but she now has a story to tell.
“I’m very blessed,” Altamirano said. “I feel very blessed that they were able to be there for me because I was in the middle of nowhere, and very blessed that just that they were able to get to me.”
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