In a tragic freak accident, a 9-year-old girl from Wisconsin, Rose Elizabeth Hendricks, died after a tree fell on top of her in Green Bay.
Videos by Suggest
According to WBAY, the incident occurred on Monday, June 23, at around 3:30 p.m. Following storms reported in the area, a tree on Blithe Street fell. Unfortunately, Rose was crushed by it.
Jayme Denamur, Rose’s mother, told NBC26 that she, Rose, and her son had returned from grocery shopping. While they were outside their home, tragedy struck.
Immediately, neighbors present in the area rushed to help the 9-year-old. As per the Green Bay Press Gazette, approximately 20 people attempted to lift the tree off Rose. One of the neighbors, Peter Xiong, provided a car jack to help move the tree. He witnessed how the tree fell, describing it as “heavy” and “big.”
“I looked outside and the tree was falling. I didn’t even realize a body was under there,” Xiong told the outlet.
Rose Elizabeth Hendricks was rushed to a local hospital. According to Denamur, the girl survived for six whole hours before she succumbed to her injuries at 10:15 p.m.
Grieving Family
Now, the family is grieving Rose’s untimely passing.
“It’s just so hard on us and her brother doesn’t know how to take it quite yet,” Denamur told NCB26. “But, he’s upset. This morning he just begged and asked for his sister to come back.”
While remembering Rose, Denamur revealed to the outlet that the 9-year-old was a “miracle baby,” as she survived serious health issues while in the womb.
“She wasn’t supposed to make it during birth,” Denamur said. “She was born with collapsed lungs and doctors told me she wasn’t going to make it. But, she proved them wrong and she only lived to be nine.”
A GoFundMe was set up to help cover her funeral expenses and to support the grieving family. In the fundraiser’s description, Rose is described as a “beautiful” girl who had a great sense of humor, loved softball, artwork, and videogames.
Most of all, however, Rose enjoyed being by her brother’s side.
“She always made sure her brother was safe and taken care of with his health and always put others first,” the fundraiser reads.