5 kids have been left orphaned after a birthday celebration turned tragic.
Jessica and Jake Woodruff were on their way from Yreka to Oregon to celebrate Jessica’s birthday when a massive redwood tree crashed on their car, killing both of them.
They are survived by 5 kids, Megan, Evan, Casey, Allie, and Chelsea, who range in age from eight to twenty-four years.
According to a California Roadway Patrol press release, the 45-year-old mother was a passenger in a 2016 Honda Accord driven by her 36-year-old husband Jake in Del Norte County, California, on Thursday morning when a giant redwood tree fell from the east side of the highway.
According to a GoFundMe page set up to assist the couple’s kids, the family was on an annual trip up the coast for Jessica’s 45th birthday.
These 5 kids have now been abandoned by their parents and face a lifetime of expenditures, GoFundMe organizer Amanda Maffei wrote.
They are urging anybody who can help to do so, as these youngsters are confronting the awful reality of what was taken from them in an instant. Those who know this family understand how close-knit they are, and their lives will be permanently altered.
There is no getting around the disaster and trauma the loss of Jessica and Jake has brought, and as they can all assume, there is a long road ahead, particularly for kids who have been left behind, Amanda writes in an update thanking those who have aided the fundraiser, which has so far exceeded $150,000.
Family member Emma Miravalle Hood told Wild Rivers Outpost that Jessica’s two eldest kids quickly stepped up to take on raising their [three] younger siblings.
This family and these parents were such a modest, fun-loving couple that they instantly realized they were soulmates.
According to authorities, the reason for the collision is still being investigated.
This is a heavily wooded region, California Highway Patrol Officer Brandy Gonzalez told SFGate. There are trees everywhere. It’s smack dab in the center of the redwoods. They don’t know why the tree fell; it’s just old growth. Mother Nature did it.
While trees do fall periodically, Brandy said the tragic incidence was exceptionally unusual.
The timing of all was quite unique, she explained. She has been with the department for 19 years and in this region for 12 to 13 years, so it’s pretty unique. They’ve had trees fall and automobiles collide, but this is a really unique occurrence.
What a heartbreak for these five youngsters; my heart breaks for them. I’m pleased they have each other to lean on.
