A 34-year-old Filipina-American passed away Monday morning, October 15, after she was trapped in a vehicle that was hit by a large tree.
Dennet Bermas from Tustin, California was identified by officials after rescue crews responded to a report of the accident on the 14400 block of Red Hill Avenue. Also damaged were a carport and power lines.
“Decedent from today’s wind-related tree incident in Tustin is identified as Dennet Bermas, 34, Tustin. Official cause of death is pending autopsy,” tweeted Orange County Sheriff’s Department on Monday, October 15.
“It’s hard to express what words to say about DenDen,” reads a GoFundMe page created by Bermas’ family to cover burial expenses. “She’s a person that I should say was sent from heaven, but taken so abruptly from this world. A person who is an angel, whose heart is ever filled with love for the people around her. A person who brings joy on every moment that you share with her. A person who I wish was not taken at an early age, who could have spread and shared her love to more people that she could have met.”
On the GoFundMe page, friends, family members, and community members shared their condolences, describing Bermas as kind, generous, down-to-earth, and always showering people with kindness and gregariousness.
Officials said that Bermas was pulling her car out of a carport, when the tree fell onto and crushed the vehicle, downing power lines in the process.
Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) Captain Tony Bommarito said OCFA technical rescue teams were sent to scene at around 9:00 a.m., and pronounced Bermas deceased shortly after.
A neighbor of Bermas told KTLA that he saw the eucalyptus tree fall while he was walking his dog.
“I saw the lady close her door and lock it,” said Bermas’ neighbor, Danny McCabe. “I said, ‘Good morning, have a good day.’ And before I got to my house, I heard the tree snap and I turned around and watched it fall.”
“I started ripping tree branches up, trying to get to her,” added McCabe. “And then I was like, ‘Ma’am? Can you hear me?’ And I shook her arm, there was no movement. I checked her pulse in her wrist, there was nothing. I check her pulse in her throat, and there was nothing.”
The fatal accident came as Santa Ana winds brought heavy gusts throughout Southern California that lasted Monday through Tuesday, reaching nearly 60 mph in some areas. Meteorologists expected the winds to be among the strongest in years.
