WEEKI WACHEE, Fla. (WFLA) — A Weeki Wachee woman was killed Monday morning after her mobile home was crushed by a tree, officials said.
“It’s just a tragic accident, it’s unbelievable,” said Kevin Gibbs, the victim’s cousin.
According to a release from Hernando County Fire Rescue, crews responded to a call about a trapped person after a large tree fell into a home.
A photo of the scene showed the large Oak tree split apart, with one large portion inside the victim’s home.
“She has a front porch on her little trailer there, and she likes to sit there and look over the lake and stuff, and that’s where she was when the tree came down,” Gibbs said.
Hernando County Fire Rescue said crews had difficulty getting inside and helping the victim because of the instability of both the tree and the crushed home.
“The tree suffered some rot in the center of it and fell apart from either winds or age or other various weather factors.” said Nick Brandt, Hernando County Fire Rescue.
Once inside, they found the victim dead at the scene.
As of this report, Hernando County deputies are investigating the incident with the Medical Examiner’s Office. However, no foul play is suspected, officials said.
Certified Arborist Bill Lester says it’s important for people with large trees in their yard to get those inspected.
“Many times, they can be rotted inside and very unstable and if you’re standing on the outside, you can’t tell it may look perfectly healthy to you, but you need a professional to look at and make the determination on whether it’s safe or not,” Lester said.
