Falling tree on Rt. 9 gives alderman a scare

Published by The Boston Globe

Newton Alderman Charlie Shapiro was traveling on Route 9 on his way back from a concert early this morning when a giant tree fell onto the windshield of his friend’s car .

Shapiro, who was sitting on the passenger side, said he feels lucky to be alive. The tree’s branches straddled the car, punching a hole in the windshield and ripping off the driver’s side mirror.

“Now I understand how safety glass works,” said Shapiro, who was covered in bits of the broken windshield after the tree fell. “Thank goodness for whoever invented that.”


Around midnight, Shapiro and his friend were heading west on Route 9 between the entrance to the Chestnut Hill Mall and Langley Road when the tree fell. Afterward, Shapiro’s friend was able to drive the car about a half mile to the alderman’s home, where they called the police.

They returned to the scene to explain what happened to State Police, who closed the affected lanes. An MBTA bus and a truck driving west had to turn around because they could not drive under the tree, Shapiro said.

State Police confirmed that a tree fell on Route 9 westbound at 12:15 a.m. By 3 a.m., the road was clear, said Sergeant Michael Popovics. The state Department of Transportation and NStar were at the scene, as well, he said.

The cause of the tree’s fall is still unknown. Because it landed on Route 9, a state highway, the tree is the state’s jurisdiction, said Marc Welch, Newton’s director of urban forestry.

“It’s really a fluke, act of God type of thing,” said Shapiro. “My feeling was, take a shower as fast as possible, get a million pieces of glass off me, try to get a good night’s sleep, kiss my wife and 15-year-old daughter and be grateful I was alive.”