Sammi Kinghorn, known as a world champion wheelchair racer and Countryfile presenter, has previously spoken about an incident in her childhood that left her paralysed
Countryfile presenter Sammi Kinghorn has recalled fearing for her life during an incident that’s said to have led to her being paralysed from the waist down.
Sammi, 28, also known for being a world champion wheelchair racer, grew up on a farm in Scotland with her parents Neil and Elaine, and her brother. She’s said to have fond memories of her childhood but has spoken about an incident when she was a teenager that changed her life.
In December 2010, when she was aged 14, the family’s farm is said to have been hit by a severe snowstorm, and Sammi remembered her father being “overwhelmed” as livestock died and residents of community found themselves stranded.
During a day out playing on the farm with a friend, Sammi noticed Neil in his forklift. As reported by OK! magazine, she once recalled her dad “beeping his horn and laughing,” adding that the two pals jumped around nearby. She’s said to have then decided to climb on to part of the forklift, and has since said that she has “no idea” why she did it, though she’s speculated that it may have been to “show off” in front of other children in the area.
Neil is said to have not realised that Sammi had climbed onto the machinery and lowered the forklift bucket, that he’d been using to clear snow, down on top of her. Speaking to the Daily Mail last year, Sammi said she remembers feeling “pressure” on her neck and initially thought her dad was “joking” but had “gone a bit too far”.
The presenter said she then started “screaming,” adding that she felt her back “popping” and subsequently her “head was in [her] crotch”. Sammi told the outlet that she was “crushed right down” into a “tiny ball”.
She said: “My heart was thumping in my chest. Everything felt really slow and all I could hear was my breath. I remember closing my eyes and thinking ‘you’re going to die, and your Dad’s going to think it’s his fault’.”
Sammi said that upon opening her eyes, she couldn’t feel her legs although she could still move them, but then fell onto a pile of compacted snow. She said that she felt her legs “pulsing” and “twitching,” and said that was the last time she felt her legs.
She’s said to have been concerned that how it would impact her dad and is said to have lied to her parents, claiming she had slipped in the snow. Sammi said that after speaking to the doctor upon being taken to hospital, she ended up telling her parents what had happened as the injuries didn’t seem to match a fall.
Neil shared that he’d taught the dangers of farming machinery to his kids, including Sammy. Recounting the experience, he described feeling “numb” after hearing what had happened and said that the incident “blew [the family’s] life to pieces”.
Yet Sammi, who’s understood to be paralysed from the waist down, is said to have begun preparing a new path in life. She told the outlet that she considered her injuries a “consequence” of her “doing something silly”.
She’s now a world champion wheelchair racer, a double Paralympic medalist and the world record holder for the T53 1500m, among having other sporting achievements. Alongside them, Sammi, who got engaged last year to her partner Callum, has taken on a role as a TV presenter and has an MBE.
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