A father from Northeast China said his child was lucky to be able to sit the gaokao, or Chinese college entrance exams, before his car was hit by a big tree that fell on the sidewalk. Photo: Screenshot from a video by Pear Video

A father said his child was lucky to make it to the Chinese college entrance exams, or gaokao, just before his car was hit by a large falling tree.

The accident happened in Fujin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, on Tuesday, the first day of gaokao, according to a video posted by Pear Video on Sina Weibo on Tuesday.

The video shows a tree on the sidewalk falling and hitting a grey Nissan Sunny car parked by the roadside.

"I was sitting in my car. There was no wind or heavy rain, but the tree suddenly began gradually approaching to me. I didn't know why," said the father in the video.

"My child was so lucky not to be in thecar, which might have caused him [or her] to be late for his exam," he said. "I hope he [or she] can get into the university he [or she] has been dreaming of."

A staff member from the local city planning and land resources bureau said they were dealing with the accident and would move the tree away.

The video drew the attention of a lot of Chinese internet users and had been viewed for more than a million times as of Wednesday. Many netizens agreed with the father, saying that his child was fortunate not to miss the life-changing exam.

Other netizens expressed their concern that the accident could have been much worse.

"It is fortunate that the tree didn't fall down on people but on the car, otherwise it would not have been so lucky, as the victim hit by the tree could have suffered major injuries," one commented.

"The city planning and land resources bureau did such a poor job. I wonder if they will take full responsibility for the accident," said another.