In Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, a stroll for a family of three nearly turned disastrous when a colossal tree unexpectedly fell just inches from them. Ben and Shelly Kerstein, accompanied by a relative, were making their way to a family gathering last Saturday when their mundane walk was abruptly interrupted by the plummeting timber. Surveillance footage documented the harrowing moment, offering a visual testament to how close the trio came to a potentially fatal encounter, NY Post reported.
The family had been appreciating the venerable tree's age just moments before it fell. "'Wow! Look at that tree, it's quite old.' And as we're getting under the tree, you start hearing cracking, and I finally got to the other side of the tree and it was down," Ben Kerstein recounted in a statement obtained by ABC7NY News. They managed to get clear just in time as the tree tumbled, leaving nothing but hollow remains and dust in its wake. The property owner, where the tree used to stand, has declined to comment on the incident.
Responding to the incident with a mixture of shock and gratitude, the family attributes their safety to divine protection. “The first reaction was shock, and the second, I realized this was from God and God saved us,” Ben Kerstein told NY Post. Following their close call, Ben was seen celebrating their survival with an impromptu dance, proclaiming, “So, all we could do was dance and thank God for saving us in that moment.”
But the close calls didn’t end with the falling tree. Ben and Shelly found themselves in another precarious situation yesterday on the expressway with two flat tires. Despite the challenges, they maintained an unwavering spirit. "We got two flats on the expressway, but we’re still dancing," Ben Kerstein remarked in his interview with ABC7NY.
