Cheshire mum 'lucky to be alive' after oak tree crushes car during Storm Eunice

A mum says she feels "lucky to be alive" after a rotten tree crushed her car during Storm Eunice in Cheshire.Wendy McGinnis, 50, says she had nipped to the bathroom before getting in her car on Friday, 18 February, only to return to find a huge oak tree had fallen onto the vehicle.She said her car was parked in Macclesfield when disaster struck, and believes needing to use the toilet before her trip saved her life.The large oak tree, which was protected, was rotten and fell from the base.Wendy, who works for Cheshire East Council caring for vulnerable adults, is now facing a “nightmare” arranging a new car to make sure she can do her job.

She explained that she had a “nightmare with [the] insurance company and getting [the] tree removed first”, before the car itself could be recovered.She has been told she cannot get a courtesy car as that option is only available if the vehicle is repairable - her car has been written off.Now she is facing the struggles of working without a car, while she waits for the insurance companies to come to her aid.Despite her car being a “total loss”, she said she was “so lucky to have not been in it or near it” when the rotten tree fell.