The Ents of Point Roberts

A 39-year-old Vancouver resident won’t soon forget his first visit to Point Roberts. Daniel (he asked not to use his full name) came down to Point Roberts on November 10 with a friend who needed to check his mail at one of the Point’s mailing houses. After filling up his gas tank, the two decided on a short tour of the Point, seeing as he hadn’t been here before.

Just around 11 p.m., Daniel accidently turned left onto APA Road from Tyee Drive and drove east towards Lily Point. Just after passing Highland Drive, the wind began picking up and he noticed debris on the road.

Instead of going around it (and thereby avoiding going into the ditch), he opted for a three-point turn. Just as he finished doing so and shifted into drive to return the way they had come, the two heard a loud snap and a crash as a large part of a maple tree fell onto his car, a 2012 Ford Fusion.

The two men exited the vehicle from the passenger side, totally unharmed. Asked about his reaction, Daniel said, “Mostly just panic and shock went through my head when the tree hit because it was so fast and unexpected. With the tree crashing down, and us running for our lives afterwards, it kinda felt like those Jurassic Park movies where the T. rex attacks the car and then chases the people.

“Just an overall terrifying feeling. The biggest fear we had were more trees falling on us, so we got out and ran as fast as we could to [Tyee Drive] where it was a lot safer, and where we could collect ourselves and call for help. Most of the comments from people when I have shown them pictures [of the tree and car] are, ‘How did you survive this?’ and ‘Did you buy a lottery to ticket?’

“Mostly just panic and survival mode went through our heads, because we were unsure if more trees or power lines were going to fall. The accident left me grappling with stress and anxiety that I’m slowly getting over. I did not buy a lottery ticket.

“On the way down APA Road, I saw a nice little church, and my advice would be for more people to attend it because I know that I certainly will. What happened was nothing short of a miracle,” he said.

Will he return?

“It’s not going to be my last time at Point Roberts. It’s a nice little town. I heard there’s a spot where you can see whales, so I’m probably going to check that out one day. Another friend of mine talks about the pubs he used to visit there, so I’d like to explore those in the summer with him. I’m just never going to go down APA Road ever again,” he concluded.