Vancouver woman escapes with injuries after tree falls on her in windstorm

Vancouver resident Jacqueline Fefer knew it was windy when she went for a run Friday afternoon, but never expected to be trapped under a massive tree, unable to breathe, not long after leaving her home in West Point Grey.

"I heard a crack and what seemed like a black wall came down on me," Fefer said.

Fefer, 56, said she was trapped beneath a plywood fence, which had been knocked over by the branches of the downed elm tree.

"It was basically crushing me and I could feel my ribs crack and I could just let out a few screams, 'somebody, help, help and I couldn't talk anymore and I could just say 'I can't breathe' and then I passed out."

When she came to, paramedics were treating her and she was rushed to hospital where she was treated for 11 fractures to her ribs and a bruised heart.

"In all I came out pretty good, I'm walking today, I'm bruised, I'm sore but I'm here," she said. "I truly thought I was going to die and I remember thinking, 'what a stupid way to die.'"

Fefer learned later that the actions of her neighbour, Dale Pugh, contributed to her survival.

Pugh said he was in his backyard on Friday in the area of 13th Avenue and Crown Street around 2 p.m. PT when he heard the tree fall.

Pugh walked to the intersection to see what happened and could hear a voice coming from beneath the branches.

"She was underneath the plywood fence there and the last thing she said was 'I cannot breathe,'" he said.

Pugh said he ran home, grabbed a construction jack and a chainsaw to cut the branches and lift some of the tree off Fefer.

Thankful to neighbour

"She wasn't making any more noises, I didn't think she was breathing, it was a pretty scary situation," he said.

Within minutes, firefighters arrived to extricate Fefer, Pugh said.

"[She was] very unlucky to have it happen ... but lucky that she did get out with the injuries that she did have," said Richard Warnock an assistant chief with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.

Fefer said she is thankful Pugh came to find her and took action.

"He basically saved my life because nobody else would have heard me. I'm just very lucky. I'm very thankful to him," she said.

Both Fefer and Pugh say they're concerned about the health of the large mature trees in their neighbourhood, and the possibility of others coming down in storms like Friday's.

B.C. wind storm

High winds across the province caused power outages, downed trees and ferry cancellations.

• High winds blast B.C.'s South Coast

The Vancouver Park Board says the tree that fell on Fefer was an elm approximately 24 metres, or 80 feet tall. Staff have looked at the downed tree and say high winds are most likely the reason it twisted and fell.

Staff also say there were no indications of wood rot in the tree, but they'll do a further assessment to determine if there were other reasons it fell over.

The city says Vancouver Park Board staff inspect every street tree on an annual basis to "mitigate tree breakage and damage to people and property."

Residents with concerns about trees in their neighbourhoods on public property can call 311.