Had we arrived at the gardens half an hour earlier, maybe both of us might have been killed.

We are from Lara and I decided to take my wife, Angela, for her 60th birthday to that nice little restaurant (Pipers by the Lake) for a special lunch.

Having enjoyed a beautiful lunch we walked out on to Wendouree Parade to find SES workers and tow trucks near our car.

Then came the realisation that our car had been crushed.

Anyway, I guess we will never forget my wife's 60th birthday, which could have been tragic.

We had to get a taxi back home to Lara. As I said to my wife, "I always thought this was something that happened to other people".

We were so grateful to the staff at Pipers, who offered us free use of their phone for quite a lengthy period.

We will be back again because we love the gardens and lake, but I won't be parking the car near any trees.