Detroit tornado: toddler killed and mother injured after tress falls on house
A toddler has been killed and a mother has been injured after a tree fell on top of their home during a tornado.
The quick-developing tornado hit a suburban town in Detroit, Michigan on Wednesday afternoon (June 5). It had also ripped through the neighbouring state of Maryland.
Officials in Livonia, Michigan said that a huge tree was uprooted by the tornado and fell onto the family home, smashing through the roof of the house. The tree landed on a bed where the mother and her two-year-old child were sleeping.
Emergency crews worked for almost an hour to remove the tree and debris. Unfortunately, the toddler was pronounced dead at the scene while the mother was transported to hospital where she was assessed to be in critical condition.
Another child, a two-week-old newborn, was also in the home at the time of the incident. However, they were in a separate room and were not injured, but were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan said in a statement: “This is a terrible tragedy for our community. Our hearts are broken, too, and we send our deepest sympathies.”
According to officials, tornado alarms are normally raised when notification is received from the National Weather Service or tornado reports. However, in this instance, there was no warning prior to the tornado hitting.
The tornado was labelled a “spin-up storm” by weather service representatives, which do not show on their radars enough time in advance of being able to issue a warning.