A 6-year-old boy has died after a tree fell onto his family’s home in Chester while he was sleeping early Friday morning.
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, VA (WRIC) – A 6-year-old boy has died after a tree fell onto his family’s home in Chester while he was sleeping early Friday morning.
The 6-year-old boy, who has been identified as Anthony Hamilton, was sleeping on the top bunk of his bunk bed when the tree came crashing down on top of his Cliffside Drive home at around 2 a.m. The tree crashed through the roof and landed on the sleeping child.
Hamilton was transported to VCU Medical where doctors told his mother that his organs were failing. “Doctors say we have to let him go,” the devastated mother told 8News reporter Kristin Smith.
Friends say Hamilton had a special charm, a vibrant personality that grabbed your attention.
Neighbor Renee Moore rushed outside to find a rescue crew frantically trying to free the little boy, who was trapped in his bed with the weight of the tree on top of him.
“It seemed like forever, I guess, because everyone was scared,” Moore recalled. “The mom, she had her kids in the SUV. She didn’t want them to go to another trailer at the time and were just waiting for the little one to get out.”
Scott Mills sold the mobile home to Anthony’s mom in August. He insists that he complained to the property manager about the stability of the tree and many others over the past 10 years.
“One of the reasons I had to get out is something was going to happen, and now a baby’s dead,” Mills said. “Somebody needs to be held responsible.”
Chesterfield Fire and EMS crews, as well as their technical rescue team, responded to the scene. Crews had to use special equipment to stabilize the tree. Once it was stabilized, crews used saws to cut the bunk bed to get the boy out.
