Smoking break saves woman from falling tree

South Carolina woman steps out for a cigarette — and house is crushed

Video: Wonderful World

'Renewal and Remembrance' at Arlington National Cemetery
July 13: Phil Fogarty, Founder of the "Renewal & Remembrance" Project at Arlington National cemetery explains why his group uses their skills to beautify the cemetery and give back to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.

Blind climbers scale Mt. Kilimanjaro

A trio of monkey babies in Indonesia

Baby boom at Tokyo zoo

Watch the ISS orbit the earth

Your turn!

Inspirational athletes
In honor of the 2008 Olympics, we're celebrating the athletes in your own life who inspire greatness.

Giving

Courtesey Patti Stanger

'Matchmaker' lends hand to cancer patients
Cause Celeb talks with Patti Stanger, CEO of The Millionaire's Club matchmaking service, about her work on behalf of the City of Hope cancer center.

Arquette to live in box for 2 days

Shriners may downsize some hospitals

Latest Buffett lunch auctions for $1.7 million

Newsweek: First lady reaches out to D.C.’s poor

Willie Garson touts adoptions in U.S.

Breaking news alerts (about 1 per day)
Click here to sign up or text NEWS to MSNBC (67622).

Find more alerts at alerts.msnbc.com

updated 1:42 p.m. ET April 18, 2007

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Smoking just might have saved Brenda Comer's life.

She said she had just finished washing dishes Monday and stepped outside to smoke a cigarette when an 80-foot oak tree crashed through her roof, landing across the sink where she had been standing just seconds before.

"Honey, I know you fuss at me for smoking," Comer said she told her husband. "But today it saved my life."

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

The tree, felled by strong wind, also missed the couple's adult daughter, who was at the other end of the house.

Pills at hand
The family's insurance agent said they could not live there after the tree cut the kitchen and living room in half, scattering the contents of the kitchen cabinets.

"I looked down and saw a bottle with two pills," Comer said. "I thought, 'Well, I have a headache, and there's two Excedrin.'"