SIMPSONVILLE, S.C.
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A strong storm sent a tree crashing down in Simpsonville on Tuesday night, trapping a man inside a camper.
The camper was on Scuffletown Road in the Scuffletown USA RV park.
According to workers at Scuffletown USA campground, the victims is Buddy Sheppard from Simpsonville.
Emergency crews say Sheppard was inside was lying in bed at 8:30 p.m. when the tree came down, trapping him.
"He sat up in his bed and the camper was shaking and looked out the window and saw the tree falling. He dove for the hall, and it caught his leg; the tree was on top of his leg," said Mark Henry who owns Scuffletown USA campground.
It took the Clear Spring and Simpsonville Fire Departments about 30 minutes to get Sheppard out. The Clear Spring fire chief told News 4 that Sheppard had significant injuries to his legs but was alert when taken to the hospital.
Henry told News 4 on Wednesday that Sheppard is still in a lot of pain but does not have any broken bones.
"He was lucky. Someone was looking out for us last night, thank goodness," Henry said.
Henry said the tree that fell was perfectly healthy.
"It's an act of God; there's nothing we can do about it. We just never know what tree is coming down," Henry said.
Severe storms swept across the Upstate and mountains Tuesday night. The National Weather Service had several reports of lightning and wind damage.
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