17-year-old girl was killed in Tallahassee tornado outbreak, marking storm's 2nd fatality
The State Medical Examiner’s Office said Thursday that a second person — a 17-year-old girl — was killed in the severe storm system that spawned three tornadoes and triple-digit winds in Tallahassee.
The 2nd District Medical Examiner's Office confirmed two “weather-related deaths” in Leon County, though it did not release the names of the victims or the circumstances of their deaths.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported Wednesday on the death of 47-year-old Carolyn Benton, the other storm victim, who died when a tree crashed onto her mobile home off Aenon Church Road.
The Democrat was later alerted about teen-age girl's death by a reader, who said she was badly injured when a tree fell on her in a wooded area and that she later died.
Leon County Emergency Medical Services responded around 7:30 a.m. May 10 to the 1000 block of Idlewild Drive, the county confirmed on Thursday.
A tree had fallen on a white female, who appeared to be roughly 20 years old. She was taken to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare's emergency room as a trauma alert.
TMH officials could not confirm whether it treated the girl. The hospital estimated that it treated fewer than 10 patients for storm-related injuries and trauma involving fallen trees and car crashes and for health complications related to the power outages.
More than 100,000 electric customers in Leon County lost power, though all but about 1,000 were back online as of Thursday.
HCA Florida Capital Hospital said Thursday it did not see an uptick in emergency room visits as a result of the storm.
Though uncommon, deaths from tornadoes have happened in the past in Tallahassee. On Oct. 22, 1945, a woman was swept away from her home and thrown 500 feet during a powerful EF-3 tornado. On April 23, 2020, a homeless man was killed by a fallen tree during an EF-1 tornado.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Teen girl confirmed as second victim of Tallahassee tornado outbreak
