A woman was amazingly not harmed when several pieces of wood impaled her vehicle while driving in Putnam County.
According to officials with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, 32-year-old John Tollison was transporting a load of wooden boards that were not properly secured to the roof of his 2005 Ford Pickup.
He was driving east on Highway 70 North behind the woman's Nissan sedan. At one point, he was forced to slam on his brakes to avoid rear-ending the vehicle.
The unsecured boards flew off the truck and smashed through the back window of the Nissan sedan. The board slammed into the windshield, dashboard and front headrests, breaking the passenger seat.
PHOTOS: PUTNAM CO. TEEN'S CAR IMPALED BY LUMBER
In the Nissan was 18-year Aubrey Stewart. She was waiting to turn left onto Prosperity Drive when the boards flew through her rear window.
"I didn't really know what to think at first," Stewart told NewsChannel 5. "I knew something entered my car but didn't know what it was until I looked to my right and there was a bunch a wood next to my head."
Stewart's mom, Becky Kelly, said it has been hard for her daughter to even be in a car after the incident. She thanked God for protecting her daughter, who had just dropped off her younger brother at school.
"It's definitely a miracle that she's sitting here," Kelly said. "I'm thankful that my son was not in the car as well because if he was, he would've been decapitated."
The driver of the truck was working for Cookeville Concrete. The owner of the company admitted to NewsChannel 5 on the phone that the lumber was not properly secured.
He said there was only strap binding the pile when there should have been at least two. The owner had no immediate plans to reprimand the driver.
According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Tollison was cited for an expired license plate, no insurance and transporting unsecured materials.
Kelly said she was focused on dealing with the insurance and the safety of her children.
