NEWTON, Mass. — A driver is reliving the terrifying moments when her car ignited in flames during Monday’s wild weather.
Bonnie Filkins was driving down Dedham Street in Newton around 10 a.m. when a tree toppled in front of her Honda.
That downed tree brought down a pole, live wires, and a transformer that burst into flames.
Filkins said the situation became dire in a matter of moments.
“I started hearing popping and then I heard another big pop, and I said, oh god. It’s time to get out of this car,” she recalled. “I tried to get out, and then realized my seatbelt was still on.”
She suffered a laceration to her hand and cuts to her face from the force of the glass that shattered on the driver’s side.
“It was like a bomb went off,” said Filkins. “My driver’s side window just exploded, and the glass went across my face and my hand. I wasn’t even aware I was bleeding.”
Filkins, of Wareham, climbed across her car and escaped out the passenger door.
She scrambled to safety up an embankment just as firefighters responded to the scene.
“I’m thankful. I know it was my mother and father that were with me,” she said.
A picture of her parents and a piece of jewelry given to her by her mother, who passed away last year, were incinerated in the car fire.
Neighbors watched the car burn after hearing the commotion outside.
“It’s unfortunate what happened to their car,” said neighbor Patrick Lavey. “But had they been a little further down, that tree would’ve got their car and crushed it.”
Filkins was treated and released from the hospital with a laceration to her hand and cuts to her face.
She told Boston 25 News that her car had more than 330,000 miles on it but she was still planning on driving it for a couple more years.
“I feel blessed and just feel glad I’m okay, and I get to get a new car for the new year,” she joked. “It could’ve been much worse.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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