DeKalb woman trapped in her home by a fallen tree released from hospital

ATLANTA, Georgia (Atlanta News First) – A DeKalb County woman has been released from the hospital after she became trapped in a falling tree and her home split in half.

A storm on Sunday afternoon left trees downed in an Ellenwood neighborhood, including the oak tree that now stands at Betty Stephens' home.

RELATED: 2 are safe after being trapped in their DeKalb County homes by fallen trees

Atlanta News First was there when Stephens returned home on crutches on Wednesday and saw the destruction for the first time.

“This is terrible,” she said, visibly moved, as she walked toward the house.

Stephens recalled that she went into the dining room to talk to her husband on Sunday afternoon when she heard the noise.

“Everything came at me like the Wizard of Oz. I thought I was in a dream. I just saw darkness and it just blew me away,” she said. “I screamed until I couldn't scream anymore.”

Stephens said her leg twisted unnaturally under the tree while her husband, son and neighbor Adrian Robinson tried to reach her and turn off the gas.

“I told Adrian, 'Don't leave me, don't leave me,'” she said.

Eventually, firefighters were able to free her and take her to the hospital.

“I said I'm going to move these legs because I have to get out of here,” Stephens said. “They pulled me out. They pulled me through the window. It was horrible. It was horrible.”

Stephens was able to leave the hospital with bruised bones and some scrapes, but knows it could be much worse.

“Without God and my neighbors, I wouldn’t be here because they came right away,” she said.

Stephens said she has worried about the oak tree for years. Now that her fears have been realized, she has no plans to return to the house, she said.

“I'm going to be fine. I'm not coming back here, but I'm going to be fine,” she said.

All rights reserved.