Tragic Christmas Day Accident on Whidbey Island

CHRISTMAS DAY ACCIDENT ON WHIDBEY ISLAND

Kills one child, injures one adult

It is difficult if not impossible for many people to make sense out of such a tragic, freak accident occurring on Christmas day of all days. A family loaded up in the SUV, presents on board and headed from Langley to the south end of Whidbey Island to enjoy Christmas day like millions of other American families. And then in the blink of an eye a tragedy strikes that no one could have seen coming.
A 9-year old girl was killed Sunday afternoon when a huge and very heavy tree branch, more like a small tree than branch, fell in a windstorm at the south end of Whidbey Island and crashed on top of the 2006 Ford Explorer in which she was riding.
The state patrol says the branch, about a foot in diameter and likely weighing in the hundreds of pounds, sheared off of a tree in that windstorm as the vehicle was passing at that precise moment under the tree.
The limb came crashing down on top of the SUV with such force it caused the undercarriage of the vehicle to hit and scrape along the pavement.
The accident happened about 12:50 pm as the vehicle was traveling eastbound on Bailey Road where it meets Cultas Bay Road, not far from one end of Cultas Bay.
Killed in the accident was 9-year old Tobiah Z. Leonard of Clinton, Washington who was riding in the right rear of the SUV when the branch hit.
Injured and taken to airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle was her father identified as Timothy H. Leonard, 41, of Langley, Washington.
The SUV was totaled by the falling branch.
Not injured enough for hospitalization was the driver Julie Janeshefskie, 42, of Clinton, the mother of Tobiah Leonard.Also not injured to the point where hospitalization was required were passengers Tamara S. Leonard, 18, of Clinton and 12-year old Wren L. Leoshefskie also of Clinton.
Wind gusts on the island Sunday were in the 50 mph range. For hardwood trees, such as oak, maple, birch and ash, a three-second gust of 74 mph will break large (greater than 1 inch) branches, 91 mph will uproot trees, and 110 mph will snap tree trunks. 
For softwood trees such as pine, spruce, fir and hemlock, a three-second gust of 75 mph will break large branches, 87 mph will uproot trees, and 104 mph will snap tree trunks. These are not absolute numbers but a value near the middle of the range of minimum wind speeds expected to cause the damage.