Tornado lifts caravan - with granddad inside

A man was injured after his caravan was taken up by a tornado in freak winds last week – with him still inside.

David Sinclair, who works and stays in a caravan on site at the Long Sutton Butterfly and Wildlife Park in Lincolnshire, was inside when a twister tore the van up from the ground. The tornado then carried it through a paddock and smashed it into the fence of the park’s buffalo paddock.

The grandfather was left squashed under his fridge before he managed to squeeze free and go for help. He was later taken to hospital with suspected internal injuries. 

‘I was just sitting in my caravan when I heard a sudden downpour of rain,’ he said. ‘Then all of a sudden the wind started whipping around the caravan and all off a sudden the caravan lifted into the air.

‘It started spinning violently over and over again. It felt like I was a tennis ball in a tumble dryer as I smashed against the walls, into cupboards and appliances.

‘When it eventually came to a halt I was pretty badly hurt. I was wedged in and had the fridge on top of me.’

Michael Cross, also at Long Sutton Butterfly and Wildlife Park, said the caravan 'was a total wreck.'

‘The tornado just rolled it over and over until it slammed into the fence next to the buffalo paddock,' he said.

‘It's travelled quite a distance and now it just looks like someone has taken a tin opener to it.'