A 29-year-old Nigerian man, James Abiwon, has died after a tree fell on his car during Storm Boelo in Mill Hill, north London.
According to Metro UK, Abiwon was driving along Dollis Road at about 12.30pm on Sunday when the tree came down in strong winds. Emergency crews, including police officers, firefighters, paramedics and an air ambulance, responded, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His cousin, Tyrrell Okolo, described him as “a master of everything” and a devoted family man. Abiwon was a tech sales executive who had earned a degree from the University of Essex. He was also a semi-professional footballer with Aldershot, a musician with about 40,000 YouTube viewers and a mentor to many, his cousin said.
Abiwon had been preparing to celebrate his 30th birthday with a padel tournament. The event will now go ahead in his memory, with proceeds going to support his family.
His close friend, Kwame Affum, 29, said the two had played padel together just two days before the crash. “I’m trying hard to get my head around this,” he told Metro UK. A friend had messaged Abiwon shortly before the accident about money they owed him for the court, but he did not reply, prompting concern.
Affum said Abiwon loved sport, was a good footballer and supported Arsenal. He had earned a first-class university degree and recently won an award at work. “He was full of energy and talent,” Affum said. “He was going to celebrate his 30th birthday in two weeks. It just seems impossible this has happened.”
A witness who laid flowers at the scene told Metro UK that she heard a helicopter and went outside to find the fallen tree covering the road, with the car trapped beneath it. Abiwon’s girlfriend and best friend arrived while rescuers were still at the scene. The witness said they were shaking as they waited and hoped he would be brought out.
The witness said Abiwon’s aunties and other relatives arrived later and were inconsolable. She described him as clearly well loved and said the community had lost one of its own.
Traffic on Dollis Road was reportedly heavy at the time, as roadworks on a nearby street had diverted more vehicles onto the route. A neighbour whose home overlooks the scene said: “If it had been 10 minutes later, it could have been me.”
The Metropolitan Police said officers were called to Dollis Road at about 12.40pm on Sunday after reports that a tree had fallen onto a moving car. Police are working with the local authority and coroner to establish the circumstances surrounding Abiwon’s death.
Storm Boelo brought gusts of up to 84mph across parts of the UK over the weekend. A 60-year-old man was also killed by a falling tree in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, while others were injured.
