A close call

Jet, June 14, 2004

A CLOSE CALL: Lucky to be alive is 43-year-old Virginia salesman Jerry Bushrod. He is standing next to what is left of the 1997 Chevrolet Blazer he was driving after it was crushed by a falling tree during a recent powerful rainstorm. As he left his father's house headed home about 2 miles away, he was cut off by a fallen tree in front of him.

Seconds later another tree fell behind him. Bushrod decided to pull his car to the side of the road to wait out the storm. "I Dulled over and laid back in my seat," he says. "About 2 minutes later, a tree fell across the back of my car. The only door that would open was the driver's door." The married father of two children says that after his harrowing experience he has learned two things: "I know God does answer prayers, and you can't outrun a storm."