KSLA News 12 Shreveport, Louisiana |Miracle: man survives a church steeple crushing his car

Miracle: man survives a church steeple crushing his car

By Ben Wolf - bio|email

SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - An Ark-La-Tex man is thankful to be alive at LSU Hospital tonight after a church steeple crushed his car in downtown Shreveport.
The man we are talking about is 57 year old Michael Williams.
Anyone who was near the corner of Texas and Common streets this afternoon will tell you this story is nothing short of a miracle. 
A crushing blow of mass proportions forced firefighters to work feverishly to save Michael Williams.
The 57 year-old man hung on for his life after a church steeple fell from the sky and flattened his car.
"To me it sounded like a loud explosion," said eyewitness John Beauregard.
Tornadic winds quickly swept through downtown Shreveport Thursday afternoon.
Onlookers near the First United Methodist Church couldn't believe their eyes.
"Some people were praying about it, some people were asking me a lot of questions because I told them what I seen," said Beauregard.
Eyewitnesses say Williams was stopped at the red light directly in front of the church.
"It's miraculous to say the least, in that it was off the building literally on top of the vehicle, so it was major trauma in that respect," said Shreveport Fire Department spokesman Louis Johnson.
Firefighters say Williams has broken bones all over his body, but despite the severity of his injuries he was talking after they got him out of the wreckage.
They say the man even gave them a ‘thumbs up.'
Many witnesses say there is no explanation on how this man survived.
Some, however, say you don't have to look to far from the wreckage to discover the reason.
"Thank God it didn't kill him," said Beauregard.
The pastor of First United Methodist has contacted Michael Williams' family tonight.
Williams' wife was out of town when this all happened.
She is desperately trying to get back to the area.
As for the steeple at First United Methodist Church, their pastor, Pat Day, says 10 years ago they took down an older steeple and then a tornado tore it apart while it was on the ground.
Today they say it was a miracle that saved a life with the newer steeple.

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