SANDAKAN: A father and his three-year-old son escaped a worse fate when a tree fell on the car they were in, at Jalan Batu 1 near Sabah Hotel here, early today.

District Fire and Rescue chief Mohd Razali Awang Ahmad said the incident happened while Sajid Bin Abas, 40, was driving his Proton Waja towards town with the toddler seated next to him.

“The tree shattered the windscreen on impact and the shards hit the victims. Members of the public rushed them to Duchess of Kent Hospital before fire and rescue personnel arrived,” he said.

He said an oncoming four-wheel-drive vehicle rammed into the fallen tree but the driver escaped unhurt.

Meanwhile, firemen went to the location following a distress call at 7.54am and finished clearing the debris off the road by 9.12am.

Police were also around to manage the traffic, Mohd Razali added. -nst