A Greenville, South Carolina news anchor and photojournalist died Monday when a tree fell on top of their news vehicle.
The accident happened on Highway 176 in Polk County. WYFF News 4 anchor/reporter Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were killed while covering the impact of heavy rain in that area, according to WYFF News.
The SUV’s engine was running and the transmission was in drive when authorities arrived at the scene around 2:30 p.m. Monday.
Tryon Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant told reporters the tree that fell on the SUV was about 3-feet in diameter and had stood back off the road. He said the ground was saturated and the tree’s root system failed. He said in his 44 years in fire service in Polk County he had never “seen anything like this.”
McCormick interviewed the fire chief minutes before the fatal accident.
The chief said “we had talked a little bit about how he wanted us to stay safe and I wanted him to stay safe and of course 10 or 15 minutes later we got the call and it was him and his photographer.”
McCormick had worked for the NBC affiliate since 2007, and Smeltzer had worked in news in the region for more than a decade, WYFF said.
“All of us at WYFF 4 are grieving,” News Director Bruce Barkley said in a press release. “We thank you for your comfort as we mourn. We ask that you keep Mike and Aaron’s families in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
(photos courtesy WYFF -TV Greenville, SC)
