Livonia toddler killed, mother injured in quick-developing tornado
A tornado struck the area around 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, uprooting a tree that crashed through the family’s roof.
A severe storm and quick-developing tornado struck the Livonia area around 3:30 p.m on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
A 2-year-old boy was killed and his mother critically injured on Wednesday after a tree fell on the family’s Livonia home during a quick-developing tornado.
The severe storm struck the Livonia area around 3:30 p.m., uprooting a large tree that crashed through the family’s roof and landed where the mother and child were sleeping, according to the city.
“This is a terrible tragedy for our community,” said Livonia Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan in a statement. “Our hearts are broken, too, and we send our deepest sympathies.”
First responders from Livonia Fire and Rescue and the Western Wayne County Urban Search and Rescue worked for nearly an hour to extricate the victims from the home, according to the city. The child was pronounced dead at the scene, and the mother was transported to Livonia Trinity Hospital in critical condition.
A 2-week-old sibling who was in a crib in a separate room was not injured but taken to a hospital for an evaluation, Livonia Fire Department Chief Robert Johnson told WDIV-TV.
Livonia Emergency Preparedness Director Brian Kahn said the city did not receive any advance warning from the National Weather Service or others about the tornado. NWS meteorologist Corey Behnke told WDET the tornado developed too quickly for the agency to issue a warning.
“There are occasions where we get weak spin-ups and weak circulations that develop, that occur mainly under the radar beam,” Behnke said. “So, a lot of times in these weaker tornadoes, there’s not a very strong signature on the radar.”
Behnke says the tornado reached a peak speed of approximately 95 mph based on the damage that was observed. The tornado was estimated to last almost 10 minutes and was on the ground for about five-and-a-half miles before lifting near Clarenceville. It uprooted several trees in the area and caused damage to Rotary Park, which is closed until further notice.
DTE Energy said about 14,000 customers in southeast Michigan had no electricity Thursday morning due down power lines and wind damage. A brief tornado also hit a golf course in Crawford County in northern Michigan, causing minor damage.
WDET’s Pat Batcheller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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