77-year-old dies after tree falls on Airbnb as he and wife are packing up, NY cops say
_fitted.png "A tree fell on a Town of Castile home as a couple prepped their car to leave, officials say.")
A 77-year-old man died after “an extremely large tree” crashed into an Airbnb as he and his wife were packing up to leave, officials say.
The couple was loading their car outside the Town of Castile bed and breakfast the morning of Aug. 2, the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
As they were packing, “an extremely large tree fell through the front of a house,” causing the home to partially collapse, trapping the pair, the Wyoming County Office of Emergency Services said in a news release on Facebook.
The falling tree also struck several cars and powerlines, “causing extensive damage,” deputies said.
“This is insane,” neighbor Amy Ginnetti-Johnson told WKBW-TV. “The car was completely crushed. The house is completely cut in half.”
Falling debris from the home hit the man in the head, deputies said.
Neighbors pulled the man, later identified as David Denham, from the debris, and he was taken to a hospital, where he later died, deputies said.
His wife was also hit by falling debris and taken to a hospital, deputies said.
She has since been discharged, hospital staff told WHEC-TV.
“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of the victims of this tragedy,” an Airbnb spokesperson said in an Aug. 5 email to McClatchy News. “Our team has reached out to those impacted to offer our support.”
After the tree collapse, 54 homes were without power, officials said, adding that power would be restored later in the afternoon.
The damaged home was set to be demolished, officials said.
Town of Castile is about a 50-mile drive southwest from Rochester.
