NORTH GREENBUSH, N.Y. (WTEN) — A New York man got quite the surprise when he came outside and saw a truck on the roof of his house.
“I didn’t expect anything like this,” said Robert Shappy of North Greenbush.
Shappy told NewsNation affiliate WTEN that he hired A&J Tree Service to come to his property and remove three trees from his backyard on Monday. The homeowner said the company’s truck tipped over after caving into a septic system on the side of the home.
Shappy said a worker on the crane “came crashing down with it.” He estimates the crane was about 100 feet in the air before collapsing.
“He kept saying, ‘I’m not hurt. I’m not hurt,” Shappy said of the worker. “His buddies were there to pull the limbs off him, and he got up. And he says … ‘I’m OK.'”
Part of the crane’s outrigger crashed into the sidewall leading into the house’s den while its long boom arm extended into the wooded area behind the home.
“I thought they were gonna come, take the trees away, clean up the mess and go,” Shappy said, adding that he and his wife will likely stay at a motel as their house undergoes repairs.
Meanwhile, crews worked throughout the evening to remove the truck from the roof. Shappy said he’s thankful no one was injured.
A&J Tree Service declined to comment.