The motorist was lucky to be alive, Rescue Care spokesman Garrith Jamieson said.

“Paramedics were called to the scene and expected the worst when they arrived and saw a whole tree on top of a vehicle,” said Jamieson.

“They found the driver lying on the roadside as passers-by had pulled him from the wreck.”

The man was stabilised on the scene before being transported to a nearby hospital.

– Sapa