HAMPTON FALLS, N.H. (AP) – It was a close call for the Grant family.
The powerful storm that had downed trees and power lines at a campground Friday night sent a pine tree crashing through their camper, fracturing and impaling people inside.
Trapped were Kevin Grant, 47, along with his wife, Paula, her three children and a family friend.
Kevin suffered a fractured leg, family member Laura Grant said in Newbury, Vt. Paula had a crushed shoulder and her left leg was impaled by a branch. She’s still at a Massachusetts hospital.
The family friend known only to Laura Grant as “Greg” broke his wrist, she said. Amazingly, Paula’s three children Joshua, 15, 13-year-old Ashley and Natasha, 11 were unharmed.
“They were playing by the door, I guess,” Laura Grant said Sunday. “They had a small space to crawl out of.”
The family was the Wakeda Campground for their once-a-year expedition to the Seacoast for deep-sea fishing.
Hampton Falls Fire Chief Jay Lord planned to spend Monday collecting information from the various fire departments that responded to the Wakeda Family Campground storm, to determine exactly how many people were injured and treated at hospitals.
“Ive got a lot of work ahead of me,” Lord said. “Ill tell you, it was an interesting experience.”
Lord said after surveying the damage, he was even more struck by the miraculous outcome.
“I stood there thinking, There shouldve been a lot more dead people. Its just phenomenal to me,” he said.
Meanwhile, clean-up efforts at the campground are almost complete, said Lissy McNamara, a campground staffer.
All that remains to be done is cutting up some downed trees.
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Information from: The Union Leader, http://www.theunionleader.com
AP-ES-08-23-04 0929EDT
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