Fundraising efforts are underway after the bomb cyclone last month killed a woman and injured her son in Lynnwood.

Deborah O’Connor, 64, and her son Brian, 38, camped for the night Nov. 19 off Alderwood Mall Parkway. A large tree fell on their tent, and authorities responded shortly after 7 p.m.

“Brian was awakened by the cracking of branches and sat up right before the tree fell … he suffered a crushed spine. He saw that his Mom was instantly killed as only her hand was visible from beneath the tree,” Brian’s aunt, Kerry O’Connor, wrote on a GoFundMe page.

Deborah’s manner of death is an accident, and her cause of death is compressional asphyxia and blunt force injuries, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner. 

Brian used a pocket knife to cut himself free from the tent and walked to the road for help, Kerry said. Since then he has had two spine surgeries – doctors placed two rods, eight screws and spacers between his vertebrae.  

Brian is autistic. Kerry said he has been grappling with the loss of his mom and trying to heal from his injuries at the same time. 

“We are reaching out to our community for support to help him rebuild his life and find a path to stability,” Kerry said.

Brian and his mom have been living in the woods for a decade, KING 5 reported. 

As of Dec. 19, Kerry raised $5,681. The goal is to raise $50,000. The link to the GoFundMe page is gofundme.com/f/rebuild-brians-life-after-devastation.

– By Angelica Relente

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network.