News Anchor and Photojournalist Working For NBC Affiliate Killed by Falling Tree
A news anchor and a photojournalist working for an NBC affiliate station in South Carolina died today after a tree fell on their SUV while they were reporting on a storm.
Mike McCormick, who was an anchor for NBC’s WYFF News 4, and Aaron Smeltzer, who was a photographer for the station, both passed during the Memorial Day freak accident in North Carolina’s Polk County.
“I have never seen an event like this one,” said the area’s fire chief Geoffrey Tennant to WYFF News 4.
He also noted that the journalists’ vehicle was found running and in drive while resting under a tree with a diameter of roughly three feet. The cause of the tree’s collapse was likely a failed root system coupled with the saturated ground from the recent heavy rainfall.
“It personally affected me a little bit because I had done an interview with Mr. McCormick about 10 minutes before we got the call. And 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,” Tennant added. “It’s the first time I ever met either one of those two gentleman, but you feel a sense of responsibility to them.”
The NBC affiliate released a note on the tragedy:
“All of us at WYFF News 4 are grieving. We are a family and we thank you, our extended family, for your comfort as we mourn and as we seek to comfort the families of Mike and Aaron.”
[image via screengrab]
