Sky Sports presenter left ‘badly shaken’ after tree crushes BMW during Storm Malik

Sami Quadri30 January 2022

A Sky Sports presenter’s BMW has been destroyed after a huge tree fell on it during Storm Malik.

Keith Downie shared photos on social media of tree branches smashing through the windscreen of the vehicle.

Mr Downie, who is the North-East England reporter for Sky Sports, said he has been left “badly shaken” following the wreckage.

He shared shocking videos and images on Twitter revealing a bough lodged into the vehicle as well as extensive interior damage.

Downie, who is originally from Glasgow, tweeted: “‘How’s everyone’s Saturday? Thankfully I’m safe but things could’ve been a lot worse.”

He later added on Instagram: “Badly shaken today but still alive. Poor car only lasted three months... but it can be replaced.”

The journalist told Sky News on Sunday that two of the cars in his driveway have been written off following the storm.

He said: “You can probably see just over my shoulder a couple of cars in the driveway there. Both of them pretty much written off after that huge tree that you can see there behind me, I think it’s probably about 100ft in height, broke off during the storm yesterday morning and fell down onto the side of the house.

“It bounced off the side wall there and careered through both of the cars.

“It’s a scene of utter devastation I have to say.

“I was pretty badly shaken all day yesterday knowing how close that I was to it when it came down and I suppose aided by the fact that I’m working tomorrow and it’s transfer deadline day for Sky Sports News and I cover Newcastle United and I’m expecting it to be a busy day as far as potential transfer business is concerned.

“I live in my car, I work in my car, it’s essentially my office and sadly it’s not me that’s in it right now, there’s a 100ft tree pierced through the front window right through and out the back again.

“It’s like a scene off a movie set I have to say. It’s quite upsetting to look at and thankfully nobody was hurt but I have to say it was a pretty close call yesterday morning.”

Storm Malik has caused widespread devastation across the UK with 80,000 people estimated to have been affected by power cuts and up to 16,000 without power.

A nine-year-old boy and a 60-year-old woman were killed after trees fell on them during dangerous gusts on Saturday.

Police were called to Winnothdale, near to Tean, Staffs, at 1pm on Saturday after reports that a tree had fallen on a boy and a man, and they were both taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

The boy’s death came after a 60-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Aberdeen.

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