Teen driver seconds from death from falling tree

A teenage driver was seconds from death when a massive tree was blown over in high winds - and smashed into her car.

Abbie MacKay was driving to work along on New Cut Road in Kent when the gale force winds the UK has been experiencing blew down a tree right in front of her Peugeot 308.

The 19-year-old student was driving at 40mph before hitting the brakes when the tree came crashing down, cracking her windscreen.

MacKay told Kent Online: "It was completely out of nowhere, I mean you could see trees swaying but you don't ever think it's going to fall on you," she said.

"I honestly had no time to react.

"It's only when I watched the dashcam footage I realised just how close it was - had I gone a tiny bit faster or a tiny bit slower it all would have been so different, it's unbelievable, really.

"Afterwards I was just laughing and crying at the same time, it was a really surreal experience."

This is the second accident in a year Abbie has been involved in, both of which weren't her fault, after a driver crashed into her on a roundabout in October.

She added: "I guess I'm quite an unlucky driver, but after this one, when my parents came to pick me up, I decided I didn't want to go home, I didn't want to dwell on it all.

"I remembered how much pain I went through last time in trying to get a courtesy car and how much of a stress it all is and just wanted to put it out of my mind for a bit."