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Aeon Tocchini, a 2½-year-old toddler, died after a redwood tree crushed his family home during a storm on Wednesday, January 4, in California. According to local reports, the family was living in a mobile home in Sonoma County, California.
It has been reported that the huge tree landed on Aeon Tocchini while he was sitting in the living room. His parents, Dan and Aisha, were left unharmed.
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been launched by the late toddler’s aunt Liz Haskins to meet expenses for his funeral and help rebuild the Tocchini family. It had originally aimed to raise an amount of $100,000, but has already collected more than $130,000. Aeon Tocchini's aunt has described him as “gentle” and “kind” on the fundraiser page.
Aeon Tocchini, who died after a tree fell on his family home, was not breathing when authorities arrived
On January 4, the Tocchini family faced their worst nightmare when their 2½-year-old baby Aeon Tocchini, who was sitting on a couch in the living room of the mobile home, passed away when a giant redwood tree fell on him during a strong storm. When the responding officers reached the incident scene, they found the toddler's father, Dan, who claimed that his son was not breathing.
Occidental Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ron Lunardi addressed the sad demise of Aeon Tocchini and said:
“One of our major incidents we’ve had involved a redwood tree falling on a house… and we had a fatality up there of a minor -- infant, actually.”
Chief Lunardi further stated:
“He was kind of covered in debris, and he said my child is not breathing. We are in a rural location out here, so my first thought was to get him into my truck and let’s get him out to the main road because he is on a long dirt driveway.”
According to Lunardi, the rescue squad immediately administered CPR on the toddler while they waited for the paramedics. Howevr, despite the efforts, he could not be saved. Lunardi spoke to CBS News and said that it was difficult for the officers to reach the scene via helicopter due to the rough weather.
The Chief was one of the first people to have arrived at the scene. Lunardi further mentioned that apart from the death of the toddler, the storm has caused significant damage in the adjoining areas. He added:
“This is up there with storms from 20-30 years ago with the trees down.”
The GoFundMe fundraiser has raised money to provide financial aid to Aeon’s heartbroken family
The young victim’s distraught mother, Aisha, spoke to San Francisco Chronicle and said that her son was just playing and sitting on the couch when the tree fell.
She further stated that she was returning from work when she saw the tree fall on her house, initially thinking that her husband was dead too. Shortly after that, she spotted Dan coming out of the wreckage. They made the 911 call at around 5.14 pm local time on Wednesday.
To meet the funeral expenses of little Aeon Tocchini, his aunt Liz Haskins organized a fundraiser on GoFundMe, writing that he was known as “Goldie” in the family. The post read:
“Goldie loved to dance; music moved his soul. He was kind, gentle, and had the most loving spirit. He loved the outdoors like his mama and his daddy was his hero. He was deeply adored by his family and he instantly stole the hearts of those around him.”
The fundraiser aimed at raising an amount of $100,000, but people have already donated around $136,598. Aeon Tocchini was the youngest child of Dan and Aisha. They have two older kids, Eden and Danny.
The post further read:
“My brother has not only lost his precious son but also lost his home. Three redwood trees fell on his house and his truck during the storm. Your contributions will sow into a new home, a new vehicle, and they will go to supporting a family while they grieve for their youngest son.”
The victim’s family has been reported to be in a state of shock and disbelief. Aileen Tochhini, Aeon’s grandmother remembered her grandson and said:
“He was just always loving and telling you how much he loved you to everybody. Always smiling, always happy, always dancing.”
Liz Haskins also uploaded many photos of the deceased toddler. Donors expressed condolences and wrote kind words for the grieving family.
