Gainesville woman recounts close call with falling tree: 'God must have different plans'

A Gainesville woman who, along with her son, barely escaped serious injury and possibly death Monday as Tropical Storm Irma roared through north Georgia, says she immediately thought "God must have different plans for (us)."

Joy Banks, 42, and son, Max, 17, were on Lakeview Drive, returning home from her mother's house when the incident occurred. 

"Max and I live in the Woodlands at Lake Brenau subdivision," she said.  "Our power went out at approximately 4pm Monday afternoon. My mom lives on Enota Avenue, just a few miles from us, and still had power. Max and I decided to go to Mom’s to bring our perishable meats to her refrigerator and cook dinner at her house."

Banks said they were on their way home around 7:30 and had just passed  the power station on Lakeview Drive when "we saw the flash of blue light in our rearview mirrors."

They turned around, she said, and saw a giant oak tree fallen across the road.

"We then realized had we left Mom’s house just a few seconds later that our car would have been directly hit by the falling tree," Banks added."What makes the story so crazy was that my brother lives in Forsyth County. He had texted my mom earlier that evening to let her know about the woman who was killed in her car by the falling tree in her driveway. Mom told us in jest as we were leaving, 'don’t let a tree fall on your car!'"

What was the first thing that went through her mind after realizing what had just happened?

"The first thought was disbelief that we were JUST there. We had just passed that spot and if we were just a few seconds later that the tree would have fallen on top of our car. I also immediately thought that God must have different plans for Max and I in this lifetime. One of my favorite bible verses is Jerimiah 29:11 ("For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future").  Clearly having a tree fall on top of our car was not in God’s plans Monday night."

Banks said it took "several hours" for her nerves to "settle" following the close call.

"We got home and I immediately called my Mom. Considering she had jokingly told us to watch out for falling trees, I was a little rattled. I then created a Facebook post to warn people not to travel down Lakeview drive since the tree was blocking the roadway.  Quite frankly I’m still amazed at how close we were to being in the wrong place at the wrong time." 

"I just keep thinking that God has a different plan for our lives. Max is in his senior year in high school and at the point where everyone is asking, 'what’s next?'"  We (collectively) get so wrapped up in wanting to know the plan for our lives and are we following the right plan and/or doing the right things. I can’t say for certain what the plans are, however, after Monday night I do know what the plans aren’t."