Tributes have been paid to a 23-year-old father who died after the truck he was in was crushed by a 40ft tree during Storm Eunice.
Jack Bristow, a truck driver from Didcot, Oxfordshire, was in the cab of a Mercedes flatbed truck alongside the driver on Friday (18 February) when the storm caused destruction over Western Europe.
In Alton, Hampshire, a tree uprooted by extremely strong winds fell and hit the front end of the truck that he and the driver were in.
They were taken to hospital, where Mr Bristow was pronounced dead just before midday the next day.
The father of a one-year-old boy was one of four people in the UK that died in the storm that brought winds up to 122 mph.
His partner Courtney Emmett, 21, wrote on social media: “Please God bring my love back to me. I love you Jack. “It’s all still so very raw.”
Tributes have poured in for the “proud” young father who was known for “always having a smile on his face.”
Mr Bristow’s friend Bradley Hall and his mother Teresa White have set up a GoFundMe page.
On the page, Mr Hall wrote: “Breaks my heart writing this but due to the recent storm we sadly lost a very good lad.
“Jack was loved by everyone who’s met him and was always down for a chat. He was a proud father and a loving partner to his girlfriend.
“He was his mums precious lad and will never be forgotten about. We love you Jack rest easy my mate.”
On Facebook, one friend wrote: “Not what I wanted to wake up to this morning, a very good friend for years been taken by the storm yesterday! Shock isn’t even the word.
“Jack ... you helped me in a dark place and I will forever be grateful to you! Rest in peace.”
Another friend added: “It’s hard to find the right words to say. Jack Bristow always had a smile on his face.
“A great lad with a big heart. Always happy to help others. He will be missed by so many of us.”
A former boss wrote that he was “truly gutted to hear” of his death.
He added: “Jack worked for me for a while and was a good worker and a great kid. Also a good family friend.
“My thoughts and prayers go to the whole family mum and dad, friends and his little son.”
At least three others in the UK and Ireland were killed by the severe conditions on Friday.
A woman in her 30s died after a tree fell on a car in Haringey, north London, on Friday afternoon.
In Netherton, Merseyside, a man in his 50s died after debris struck the windscreen of a vehicle he was travelling in.
A council worker clearing debris was killed by a falling tree in Co Wexford, Ireland.
If verified, a gust of 122mph provisionally recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight would be the strongest ever in England.
