“AN accident waiting to happen” is the term used by a number of local motorists who have been left concerned over the “precarious” position of trees across the county after recent storms.
On Saturday, the PSNI announced that the Irvinestown Road was closed in both directions due to a fallen tree which forced local diversions to be put in place.
Speaking to the Herald in relation to Saturday’s incident, one local motorist said, “It’s a very busy road and you could tell that several of the trees were ready to come crashing down.
“Someone at the scene informed me that the local Forestry Service would be responsible for the trees and the condition which they were left in as a result of the recent storms.
“Some of the trees had been left in a very precarious position and the high winds on Saturday were just the final blow. The damage was clear to see and I firmly believe that this could of been avoided if the position of the trees had been looked at immediately after Storm Franklin.
“Instead, it was left for a week which allowed the issue to escalate and someone could of been killed on that Irvinestown Road.
“They’re big brutes and one just came down on the car ahead of me.
The other motorist crashed into the ditch but was lucky enough as it could have forced him into oncoming traffic.
“The individual was alright, they were a bit shaken but there was quite a bit of damage to the car. Another second and the tree would have landed on me.”
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