Lately in Washington, the weather has been quite harsh as there have been power outages, windstorms, and flood warnings.
In Preston, WA on Oct. 24 around 3 p.m. Eastside Fire & Rescue came to a scene where a mother and her son were killed by a falling tree during the windstorm. The road was shut down for hours due to the accident. According to the King County Sheriff’s Office, the tree was eight feet wide in diameter where it snapped.
The victims were identified by a medical examiner as 59-year-old Camille Martlin and 22-year-old Max Martlin. Max’s girlfriend made a Facebook post saying that family and friends were heartbroken to learn that they both had been killed by a falling tree.
The mother and son duo were like best friends and remarkable people. The Martlins had two uncarved pumpkins in their trunk, indicating that they were going home to carve pumpkins together. The mother was an aesthetician, massage therapist, and business owner. Her son was almost finished with his two-year degree at Arizona State University online, with the intention of completing his four-year degree using the Starbucks tuition reimbursement program.
A fundraiser has been organized to cover funeral costs, the care of their three pets, and other expenses for the family.
This happened on a day where the region was dealing with the strongest winds of the season so far. Wind gusts reached up to 61 mph at Paine Field in Everett on Sunday. At the Washington State Fire Training Academy, which is about 20 miles east of Preston, winds reached up to 40 mph.
Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things someone has to go through. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and those affected by this tragedy.
