Woman miraculously survives after tree crashes through her home

By Justin Berger

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    TRYON, North Carolina (WLOS) — “We have now a tree house and a nice big window where you can see the mountains,” Ryan Pflumm said.

Pflumm was in Raleigh on Saturday morning when his mom, Kathy Alyea, called to tell him a tree fell through the Tryon home she’d been living in for more than 30 years.

“I heard a message that said, ‘Hey, it’s an emergency, call me right back,'” Pflumm said.

After he knew his mom was OK, he asked neighbors to send pictures of the Lockhart Road home.

Initially, he didn’t realize the extent of the damage.

“It was a little shocking, to be honest,” Pflumm said.

Pflumm said his mom is still in a bit of shock and has a big bruise on her leg but does not have any internal damage or broken bones.

Capt. Patrick Corn, with the Tryon Fire Department, said Alyea was extricated within 30 minutes from under the maze of splintered wood.

Pflumm showed a News 13 crew around the home and explained that first responders got to his mom, who was in her bed in the corner of her bedroom, through her bedroom window.

“She was pinned down, so she couldn’t move,” Pflumm said. “They had to get her on one of those boards and then get her out this window.”

He said his mom told him she fought with a tree and somehow won.

An arborist told the family they believe weather was a contributing factor in the tree uprooting.

Pflumm was quick to thank first responders for saving his mom and also said his family’s been embraced by the community since the incident.

“By the time I got here, I had probably about 12 places to stay if I needed to,” he said.

Pflumm said he thinks his mom will be out of the hospital by Tuesday or Wednesday at which point she’ll begin rehabbing her leg.

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