8-year-old playing with his brother dies after tree falls on him, NC church says
An 8-year-old boy playing with his brother died after a tree fell on him, a North Carolina church said.
The two siblings were in the woods near their backyard when the child was hit Monday, March 25, according to social media posts from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office and the Vintage City Church in Hickory.
Crews responded to reports of a cardiac arrest and a tree that had fallen on a child. At the scene, a boy led deputies to his 8-year-old brother lying on the ground, according to the sheriff’s office and the George Hildebran Fire & Rescue Department.
The brother received medical treatment on the scene and was rushed to a Morganton hospital, where he died, firefighters wrote on Facebook.
The fire department shared a link to the post from the church, which said the boy was “killed in a tragic accident” involving a dead tree. The department also shared information about a GoFundMe online fundraiser that said the child’s family was “active part of two of our local homeschooling communities.”
“Please continue to keep the family and all that responded in your thoughts and prayers,” firefighters wrote.
Deputies said “no foul play” is suspected in the incident, which was reported as the boy and his brother were playing in the Connelly Springs area of Burke County. The town is a roughly 60-mile drive northwest from Charlotte.
This story was originally published March 27, 2024 at 11:48 AM with the headline "8-year-old playing with his brother dies after tree falls on him, NC church says."
