CHARLESTON, Arkansas — Franklin County was one of many impacted by severe winds and rain early Sunday morning, but a Fort Smith couple braved the storm to help some people in a scary situation.
Around midnight on Sunday, Amanda Maness and her husband were driving along Highway 22 outside of Charleston, heading back from a family event in Dardanelle.
That’s when they saw something they didn’t expect to see— a car underneath a fallen tree.
“I couldn't believe it … we had been at a family event and having a good Saturday night,” Maness said. “And then … how quickly things changed.”
Maness said at first she wasn't sure what she was looking at.
“I really thought that there was a car that was maybe blocking the tree to let people know that there was an obstruction in the road, or what have you,” Maness said. “When we passed, I noticed that there was an actual car in the tree.”
Maness says there were three people in the car who told her and her husband that they had tried to call 911 but were unable to get through.
The rain didn’t stop the couple from jumping into action.
“I reached out to 911, while my husband helped see if he could assist them in getting their car free [from where it was trapped], while there were just tree limbs everywhere,” Maness said.
As other cars began to drive through the scene, Maness said she helped direct traffic to alert them of the dangerous situation.
“It was starting to rain again really heavy, and the lightning was really intense,” Maness said. “It was very nerve-wracking and scary to be out there.”
After some teamwork, they were able to get the car out from under the fallen tree, and all three people inside were unharmed.
“I think that they probably were relieved that somebody came along somehow,” Maness said.
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