Severe weather Tuesday night claimed what may be one of Johnson City's largest oak trees, but that's just part of the story. Heavy winds toppled the 60-foot tall tree Tuesday night in front of Leighton Hart's home on North Mountain View Circle.
"Something we'd been worried about for a long time, it actually happened last night," Hart said. "We're tucking the kids into bed and we hear this awful crash and roar outside."
Before Tuesday night, the tree outside the Hart's home stood tall for years. In fact, experts previously told the family it was anywhere from 135 to 200 years-old. Now, the fallen tree sits in the Hart's yard, but that's the least of their concerns.
Tuesday night was the last night the family of four would spend together before welcoming in their newest addition. Hart's wife was scheduled for induced labor Wednesday morning. So, just hours after the tree crashed, Blythe Hart came into the world.
"It's been a wild last 24 hours," Hart said. "It's a lot of stress, a lot of adrenaline, a lot of tension...It didn't impact my wife at all in terms of her labor, but still more excitement than we wanted to deal with."
Regardless, the family is grateful the tree fell into their yard and not onto their home. Had it crashed into house, what now is a family of five, may not be around today.
"It could have just as easily gone the other way," Hart said. "I feel very blessed to be standing here today, telling a great story about our child coming into the world happy and healthy and thankfully nothing happened to us."
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