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'I seriously could not breathe': Coeur d'Alene family asks why city didn't allow removal of tree that fell on son

The family had asked for permission to remove a massive pine tree from the nearby right-of-way, but was told the tree was healthy.

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Wednesday's massive windstorm caused a huge pine tree to collapse through the Morse family's living room in Coeur d'Alene, trapping their teenage son.

The family said they and their neighbors have been worried about the tree for years, asking the city for permission to remove it, but never received approval.

For mom Janine, dad Matt, and son Jaykob, the night of the windstorm was a nerve-wracking one even before anything happened.

“There was an odd air in the house," said Matt.

Worried about the tree outside, Jaykob moved out of his bedroom and into the living room.

“He came out here  on the couch because he couldn’t sleep, he was up all night, he was scared," said Janine. "He said mom, that tree is going to kill somebody someday.”

Not much later, exactly what they were afraid of happened.

“We actually heard it start to fall," said Matt. "I even said: 'oh, there it goes.' And then it was moments later that we heard the crash and felt the house jump."

Janine was flung out of her bed on the other side of the house; she rushed into the living room to the scariest sight imaginable.

“All we saw was the roof, the house, and the tree on our son, crushing him," she said. "We couldn’t see him at all.”

Frantically removing debris, they saw Jaykob’s legs moving, but weren’t sure if he was conscious or even alive.

“I was convinced at the time that I was un-burying my son to find him completely, completely smashed," said Matt.

But he was alive, and Matt was eventually able to make room enough to pull Jaykob out.

“And we heard him say I can breathe, I can barely breathe," said Janine. "So we knew he was alive. But his pillow was suffocating him.”

Jaykob made it out with just scrapes. The entire experience was surreal.

“I remember just waking up. I couldn’t move. I seriously could not breathe," said Jaykob. "My face was completely smothered in the pillow. So much weight on my chest. It’s one thing to know… you’re in danger, but to be in danger and not be able to move a muscle or not be able to breathe or anything like that, is just… so weird.”

The family was beyond grateful for his safety, but they couldn’t help but think back to all the times they’d worried about that tree before.

“My dad actually used to take levels and go outside and see how much more it was leaning and leaning every single year," said Jaykob.

They’d gotten together with their neighbors years earlier and asked the city for permission to remove the tree, which was in the public right of way. They were told the tree was healthy and didn’t require more than some pruning.

“They were far more concerned with maintaining the life of this tree than the lives of the people around it," said Matt.

The city administrator and urban forester told KREM the city's previous forester had visited the site in 2018.

She judged the pine to be healthy, and a separate tree nearby to be ready for removal. The pine was trimmed but stayed put. The city said the property owner, the Morses' neighbor, did not appear to file any appeal.

The city officials said the goal in general is to keep healthy trees, and it would naturally be hard to account for a massive windstorm with such soggy ground when making such a judgment.

The Morses said they were never informed an appeals process even existed; they feel like their concerns were just never taken seriously enough.

    

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