SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Smyrna family considers themselves lucky to be alive after a light pole fell on their car late Friday night during strong winds.

Neighbors at the Ridgemont Park Apartments said a stadium light pole fell from Smyrna High School’s football stadium, toppled onto a fence, and landed on multiple cars parked at the apartment complex next door.

The incident happened during the late night hours on Friday, March 24, as severe weather made its way across Middle Tennessee.

A family who owned one of the damaged vehicles told News 2 they had returned home to their apartment just 15 minutes before the stadium light fell.

“It was a big boom. That’s all I know,” Nora Brimah said a she pointed at the smashed car. “But it almost looked like the car was on fire, because the headlights turned on and everything, but thankfully nobody was hurt.”

Brimah said her family of seven relied on the vehicle to go to work and school, but all things considered, they were thankful to be alive, especially since they had been returning home from a birthday party 15 minutes before that pole fell.

“I think that my mom said it best: ‘A car can be compensated, but a life cannot be compensated,'” Brimah added. “So we’re just grateful that we’re all alive, we’re all safe, and we’re all well. We really thank God for just the gift of life.”

Austin Burnett with Cook’s Towing & Recovery helped tow the Brimah family’s car away on Saturday, March 25, and said he had been going nonstop since midnight.

“You can ask any tow truck operator, we’ve all got a top 10. I’ll say this incident last night just went to my number one on the list,” Burnett said about the cars smashed by the stadium light.

Despite the damage to the Brimah family’s car, Burnett said he considers them lucky.

“That 15 minutes got to let them wake up again,” he added.