Yahoo Finance 'Amazing' Mom and Son Killed After Tree Crushes Their Car in Wash. Windstorm: 'Huge Loss'
Max Martlin Facebook Camille Martlin and Max Martlin
A Washington mom and her son were killed over the weekend when a car fell on their vehicle during a windstorm.
Camille Martlin, 59, and son Max Martlin, 22, went out to pick up Halloween pumpkins on Sunday afternoon, according to The Seattle Times. On the drive home, the two were reportedly killed when a tree crashed into their car in a densely forested area
According to NBC affiliate KING5, Western Washington was hit with the strongest winds of the season on Sunday, with gusts reaching 40 mph near the scene of the fatal accident.
Eastside Fire & Rescue arrived at the scene around 3:30 p.m., pronouncing the victims dead at the scene, per the outlet.
The King County Medical Examiner's Office determined that both Camille and Max died from multiple blunt force injuries, reported The Seattle Times.
"It's a freak accident," a spokesperson for the King County Sheriff's Office told the newspaper. "Just a moment or two's difference could have drastically changed how this ended."
"It was truly a collision of inches and that it would take a mother and son is tragic," said the spokesperson.
Eastside units are on scene of a fatality incident on the 7700 Blk of Preston Fall City Rd SE. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/Ls3bhYjQv3
— Eastside Fire & Rescue (@EastsideFire) October 24, 2021
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Camille and her son Max were very close and lived together in Bellevue, the Washington mom's friend of 26 years, Teri Chastain, told The Seattle Times.
"She was just an amazing, bright light," said Chastain. "She had so many friends. She just walked into the room and she was the party. There didn't even need to be a party — she was it."
Speaking of her friend's son, Chastain remembered Max as being "very mature for his age" and "always there" for his mother.
Camille Menard Martlin Facebook Max and Camille Martlin
Max's father and Camille's ex-husband, Brian Martlin, told The Seattle Times that his son was about to start a four-year degree program and had plans to work in real estate.
"He was such a sweet kid," Brian remarked. "He was accepting of everybody. He was very centered, very gentle, very loving."
"It's just a huge loss," Chastain told the newspaper. "I still can't stop crying. It was very, very unexpected."
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Max's girlfriend also shared a few words about the pair in a post shared on his Facebook earlier this week.
"As someone who loved them both so deeply word[s] can not describe the horror I feel about the situation," she wrote. "I and his family are beyond heart-broken."
"Max and Camille was such a huge light in my life and I know they were in many of yours. All I ask is to make sure to keep him and his mom's memory alive, share your favorite memories with them here on their feed," she added.
Funeral plans have yet to be announced.
