Aeon Tocchini, a two-and-a-half-year boy, was killed after a drenched redwood tree crashed down on the family’s double-wide mobile home in Occidental. The accident took place on Wednesday night, roughly 65 miles north of San Francisco.
The infant’s death occurred when a strong storm swept across California, collapsing trees and flooding the streets.
Sergeant Juan Valencia of the Sonoma County Sherriff’s Office said the toddler was sitting on a couch in the mobile home’s living room when a tree came through the roof and pinned him down.
Aisha Tocchini, 32, Aeon’s mother, said the boy’s father, Dan Tocchini, 49, and a neighbor tried to move the trunk of the tree by driving a truck into it. The vehicle they used had already been damaged by the tree that fell.
Over time, they were eventually able to remove enough of the tree to free the boy. However, the toddler wasn’t in the clear just yet.
One of our major incidents we’ve had involved a redwood tree falling on a house … and we had a fatality up there of a minor — infant, actually.
Ron Lunardi, Occidental Volunteer Fire Chief
The Storm Continues
Upon the officer’s arrival, Fire Department Chief Ronald “Ron” Lunardi said a “frantic father came out” with the infant in his arms.
According to Lunardi, the father was covered in debris and screaming, “My child isn’t breathing.” Since they were in the middle of nowhere, Lunardi’s first thought was to put him in his truck and drive him to the nearest major road.
When they arrived at Joy Road, they met the rescue squad, who took the child from the father and began to perform CPR while waiting for the paramedics to arrive.
Despite their efforts, the little boy couldn’t survive his injury and was pronounced dead at 5:48 p.m.
Lunardi said that when a tragic incident such as this occurs, especially when a child is involved, “everybody’s emotions are a lot higher.” On Thursday morning, several friends and neighbors showed up to help clean up the property and express their support for the family after their devastating loss.
The storm has continued to wreak havoc on the state of California. According to the National Weather Service, Wednesday night’s gusts might reach 70 mph near Northern California’s coast. Over the following few days, the state may see flooding rain, devastating winds and mudslides.