GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A girl was taken to the hospital after a large tree branch fell on her as she was playing outside a Grand Rapids home Friday.
Grand Rapids firefighters were responding to a downed tree and wire nearby when it happened around 10:25 a.m. at the corner of Dale and Center.
The 7-year-old girl was playing in the yard at the time. She was hospitalized with minor injuries and is expected to be OK.
"Two seconds later and she would've been under that tree," a neighbor said, admitting he was close to tears.
Caution tape surrounds a downed tree that hit a 7-year-old girl in Grand Rapids. (May 4, 2018)
A lieutenant with the Grand Rapids Fire Department is urging everyone to steer clear of branches and power lines while the high winds persist.
Thousands of homes and businesses were already without power by 10:30 a.m. Friday. Kent County was the hardest hit area, according to Consumers Energy’s power outage map.
Much of West Michigan is under high wind warnings and advisories through 6 p.m. Friday, with the potential for gusts reaching 60 mph.