Countryfile's Sammi Kinghorn's tragic accident on farm that left her paralysed

19 November 2023 , 16:00

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Paralympic athlete Sammi Kinghorn is now a presenter on BBC's Countryfile (Image: BBC)

Countryfile star Sammi Kinghorn has shared the last moment she ever felt her legs after a tragic accident left her paralysed.

The TV star was just 14 years old when she was injured in the horrific incident, and credits sport for helping her to 'really accept' her new reality and live life to the fullest. Sammi, now 27, is the fastest female British wheelchair racer of all time and has become a familiar face on our screens presenting the beloved BBC show.

The Paralympic athlete-turned-presenter was a teenager playing on her family's farm in Scotland during the winter of 2010, when she jumped on her dad's forklift and ended up getting crushed.

The TV star was involved in a tragic accident on her family farm at the age of 14 (PA)

Her father had been using the truck to clear snow and had no idea his daughter was there. In an interview earlier this year, as reported by The Scottish Farmer, Sammi recalled the exact moment everything changed: "I remember feeling an immense amount of pressure on the top of my head and the first feeling I felt was guilt. What was I thinking? My dad is going to lose his job and his daughter. Why have you done this?"

Sammi remembers sliding out from the forklift and running out of its path, and that was the last time she ever felt her legs. She spent the next six months on a spinal unit in a Glasgow hospital, and recalls feeling in 'awe' of her first wheelchair. "It wasn't something that was a disability, it was something that enabled me to go out and see my friends, and live my life fully. I was so excited that day and knew I wouldn't be stuck in bed forever," she said.

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The presenter added that she "can't imagine the pain my dad still carries day-to-day", but hopes her success and happiness "takes the burden off his shoulders". While she once dreamed of being a zoologist, Sammi is now a double Paralympic medalist and TV host on Britain's much-loved programme.

Speaking about her newfound love for sport soon after the accident, Sammi told the Scotsman back in 2012: "I thought I'd be in a bed forever. So, to then get into a wheelchair was amazing. I know it sounds strange, but I was so happy. Then to find I could actually compete in sport in my wheelchair has just been incredible. Sport has helped me hugely, helped me to really accept it."

Nia Dalton