This is the shocking moment a man miraculously survives being crushed to death by a 40ft tree when it fell on him during Storm Eunice.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows the mature fir tree topple towards unsuspecting Nigel Ward who is stood with his back to it at the time.

The 69-year-old had no chance to get out of the way and completely vanishes underneath its thick branches.

As reported by the Daily Echo on Monday, Nigel survived the impact but remained injured and trapped under the tree at the bottom of his garden.

He managed to pull out his mobile phone but when he tried calling wife Karen from under the tree she initially thought he wanted her to make him a sandwich for lunch and hung up on him.

Bournemouth Echo: Wareham resident Nigel Ward survived being crushed by a 40-foot tree during Storm Eunice

He called her again and she eventually made out his screams for help and raised the alarm.

Fire crews spent 45 minutes cutting gas engineer Nigel free. He was rushed to hospital where he is today recovering from a fractured spine and a broken left foot.

He is waiting to hear if he needs spinal surgery.

Karen, 70, said she and daughter Kerrie had watched the CCTV footage of the incident in 'disbelief'.

She said: "It is pretty scary and surreal because the tree comes down so quickly."

Kerrie added: "I have watched it a lot of times and it's just unbelievable when you see the speed which the tree came down that dad survived.

"It was like something out of a movie."

Nigel Ward was tending to his horses at his smallholding in Wareham, Dorset, with friend Linda Flanagan when the 30-year-old tree blew over.

Bournemouth Echo: Paramedics tend to Nigel Ward who survived being crushed by a 40-foot tree during Storm Eunice

Linda was stood next to him but jumped out of the way in time and was trapped in a partially destroyed hay shelter.

Kerrie, a chef, said: "My mum had been out that morning and could hear the tree making this creaking noise.

"She warned dad about this but he had to sort the horses out.

"He and Linda were stood by the hay shelter in the garden and then the tree just came down.

"Dad got crushed by the main part of the tree.

"He tried to ring my mum from underneath the tree and she thought he was asking her to make him a sandwich for lunch.

"She couldn't hear what he was saying to begin with and hung up but she then made out his screams when he called back.

Bournemouth Echo: Wareham resident Nigel Ward who survived being crushed by a 40-foot tree during Storm Eunice

"My dad is very grateful and very thankful that they came out alive."

Karen, a retired dental nurse, added: "When I saw which tree it was that had come down my heart sank.

"I thought it was not going to end well, but in fact things could have been a lot worse.

"If the tree had landed anywhere else they could both have been killed.

"He's in hospital now and he's happy and eating chocolates."