DeKalb family escapes home crushed by 100-year-old tree during storm

A DeKalb County family says they were “blessed” to get out of their home unscathed when a 100-year-old tree snapped during a storm and crashed through their roof.

Daniel Hedges said he and his wife Gabrielle grabbed their two children and ran as the massive tree came down on the Beech Drive home.

They had just put their 4- and 7-year-old to bed Wednesday night when they heard the sound of trouble, he told AJC.com.

“We started both hearing something that sounded really wicked, like a tornado,” he said. “And then we heard cracking.”

Gabrielle Hedges ran to get one child, while Daniel Hedges hustled to the other child’s bedroom.

Daniel Hedges said he heard a loud cracking sound coming from his son's room Wednesday night. He later learned a massive tree caused the room's ceiling to cave in.

“Because that’s where I heard the biggest noise,” he said.

DeKalb firefighters said the tree tumbled in a microburst, a blast of air that shoots downward during a thunderstorm. A microburst can create winds as fast as 150 mph.

Hedges later learned the ceiling in his son’s bedroom had been crushed by the fallen oak tree.

“I wanted to see what was going on outside, so I opened up the front door and saw the tree laying there,” Hedges said.

Hedges said his family has lived in the Decatur home for about 12 years. He said he’s glad everyone made it out of the house safely.

“I think I did everything that I could, proper,” he said. “And everybody’s safe, so I couldn’t be more blessed.”