A 52-year-old Camano Island man killed himself after a windblown tree crushed his camp trailer Christmas morning.
Early Sunday, a tree apparently fell on the fifth-wheel trailer where Richard Payne had been living in a remote wooded area, Island County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Smith said in a statement.
The tree pinned Payne’s legs, trapping him, Smith said.
Island County Coroner Robert Bishop said the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He said the injuries Payne suffered from the tree crashing down were not life-threatening.
Smith said it appeared Payne had no means of summoning help – there was no phone or nearby neighbor.
A visitor discovered the body Sunday afternoon.
No suicide note was found, Bishop said.
A windstorm raked Western Washington early Christmas Day, at one point cutting power for 20,000 Puget Sound Energy customers between Bellingham and Olympia. Utility crews worked to repair the damage in heavy rain.
Payne was on disability and had been living in the trailer on family property for about a year, the coroner said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
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