Retired journalist Noel Slevin says he's lucky to be alive after branch hits car

Retired Journalist Noel Slevin feels lucky to be alive after a branch of tree fell severely damaging the car he was traveling in on Sunday night. 

A status red wind warning had been issued by Met Éireann for the county on Sunday. Storm Isha wreaked havoc, trees were snapped like twigs across the county, bridges flooded, thousands lost power in their homes and buildings were damaged as a result. 

Mr Slevin, a Killcadden native, was traveling home from the village of the Crossroads on Sunday night at around 9.30pm when he and his driver heard a loud bang to the rear of the car.

“We were within yards of my home when suddenly we heard this huge bang at the back of the car. We soon realised a branch from a tree had fallen on the car and had levelled the roof,” he said.

He and his driver turned to see that the roof of the car was crushed to the height of the backseat. 

“Luckily all the damage was confined to the rear of the vehicle. The scary part of all this is if the branch had landed one yard further forward towards the front of the car, who knows what could have happened,” he said. 

He pointed out that should he have exited the car minutes earlier he would have been standing on the exact spot the heavy branch had fallen. He added that should they have been on the road a few seconds later the branch would have fallen to the front of the car where both he and his driver were seated. 

“It just taught me that all the warnings that we get about the danger of gale force winds should be taken very very seriously because while it may have been an act of God it really  brought home to me how disastrous it could have been,” he said.   

He said he feels very fortunate that he and his driver escaped from the episode unscathed: “I feel very lucky to be alive after what happened. While the car was severely damaged both of us are so thankful that we didn’t incur any physical damage other than a severe sense of shock which lasted for a few days.”

People have been contacting Mr Slevin over the past few days after the event with many of them saying someone must have been praying for them. 

Mr Slevin said he can only remember one other such night in the county when storms were as bad and that was on September 16, 1961. On that night he was helping his father who was a local milkman in the area. 

“The only other time I experienced a night like that was on September 16, 1961, when the county got hit by Hurricane Debbie. I was 10 years old and I was out helping my father, the local milkman, and gusts of winds were recorded at 182 m/p/h. Eighteen people died nationwide, that time, including one Donegal lady Susan Mc Dermott. She tragically lost her life while cycling home from Burt when a branch from a tree fell on her.”

Mr Slevin said the episode is one that he will not forget for a very long time: “When you get time to sit down and reflect on it - how close we came, it will make me appreciate every day I get. I always appreciated life but I appreciate life now a lot more.”