Source link : https://london-news.net/heroic-taxi-driver-executes-split-second-decision-saves-passengers-from-falling-tree-disaster/
Terry Williams estimates he has traveled over two million miles throughout his career as a private hire driver.
He has navigated various weather conditions across the UK and Ireland, but this marks the first instance where he faced the challenge of a large tree crashing onto his vehicle.
“As we approached the bend, I saw the tree literally start to fall right in front of us. My instinct told me that slamming on the brakes would result in a collision with the major sections of the tree, so in that split second, I chose to accelerate instead,” he recounted.
“I was going about 45mph when we collided with the tree,” Mr. Williams noted, characterizing the weather as “wet, but calm.”
“The windshield shattered so badly that I couldn’t see the tree or its branches. All I saw was a bright flash of white light.”
Just moments earlier, Terry had picked up his regular passenger Emma Hill, 41, along with her mother Susan Jamson, 75, from their home in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire, to drive them to work at the Chickenshed youth theater in Enfield.
As they rounded a sudden curve on the A404 at Holmer Green, Terry quickly understood the imminent danger. Recognizing that avoiding the tree completely was impossible, he opted to speed up instead.
“I thought if I could accelerate quickly enough, the tree would land behind us.
“The impact sent me swerving to the other side of the road. I was skidding, but I knew that hard braking or sharp steering could cause the vehicle to…
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Publish date : 2025-09-14 13:27:00
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