ATLANTA — A southwest Atlanta mother says she is grateful her 9-year-old daughter survived after a massive tree crashed onto their car, trapping the child inside.
The incident happened last Wednesday along Stokes Avenue, where the fallen tree remains alongside the heavily damaged vehicle.
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“I can replace the car, but I can’t replace my child,” said Jessica Fuller.
Fuller said she had just picked up her daughter, Deiondra, from school and stopped to visit a friend. While Fuller stepped out of the vehicle, her daughter remained in the back seat.
Moments later, Fuller said she heard a noise.
“I started to hear some type of noise, like a crackling noise,” Fuller said.
Seconds later, the tree came crashing down onto the car.
Fuller said she rushed toward the wreckage, fighting through tree branches while calling out to her daughter.
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“And I’m telling my baby, my baby. That’s all I remember saying, ‘My baby,’” she said.
A friend whose truck was also damaged in the collapse immediately began trying to free the girl. Fuller said he repeatedly pulled on the vehicle’s door until he was able to open it and rescue Deiondra.
Despite the terrifying ordeal, the 9-year-old was not seriously injured.
After the crash, neighbor Catherine Bruce contacted Fuller and shared concerns she had raised about the tree for years.
“This is a huge problem, and it’s been a problem since we moved in back in 2022,” Bruce said.
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Bruce provided records of 311 complaints she submitted to the City of Atlanta regarding the tree, which sits on city-owned property.
According to Bruce, the city’s most recent response indicated an arborist inspected the tree and found no issues.
Fuller questions that assessment.
“It’s hollow. It’s dead. It’s rotted out,” she said.
The crash occurred directly in front of a church, something Fuller says has strengthened her belief that her daughter’s survival was nothing short of a blessing.
“God protected us. He protected my child. Most important, that’s the biggest blessing I could ask for,” Fuller said.
Channel 2 Action News has reached out to the City of Atlanta for answers regarding the previous complaints, the arborist inspection, and why the tree was not removed. A response has not yet been received.
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