The camping accident that killed two young Springfield children in July 2008 is by far the most tragic, emotion-filled story I’ve ever covered. It took all I had to report on this accident, primarily because my two boys were the same ages as the Stuebs children.

I wrote a series of stories about what happened — straight-line winds knocked over a tree onto the Stuebs family’s camping tents, killing two of their children — and cried my way through all of them. As a result of the news coverage, people from all over began donating money and having fund-raisers to help the family with medical bills. The response was overwhelming.

I think everyone was shocked by what happened to the family and realized the same thing could happen to any of us and our loved ones at any time. There wasn’t much else people could do to help in this terribly helpless situation, so they prayed and donated whatever they could, hoping it might help ease the parents’ pain.

Family in shock waits to see if daughter will live / Funeral plans for son on hold while parents try to cope
July 23, 2008

Four-year-old Dustin Stuebs loved his new Spiderman shoes, riding his bicycle and going to school on the bus. He had reached the age where his personality was taking shape, family members said Tuesday.

The Springfield preschooler’s life was cut short Monday morning when an oak tree fell on his tent during a storm and crushed him. Dustin and his family were camping near the Quad Cities.

“He was just starting to blossom into his own person, and you could see his unique character. He was daddy’s little boy. He was attached to his dad. He’d be the type who would hang onto your leg as you walked around,” said Dustin’s uncle, Dale Logerquist.

Dustin was pronounced dead at 7:55 a.m. Monday at Genesis Medical Center, Illini campus, in Silvis, where he was rushed by ambulance after emergency workers used chain saws to free him from beneath the 18-inch-diameter tree.

Rock Island County Coroner Sharon Anderson said Stuebs died of hypovolemic shock due to crushing injuries to his abdomen and legs.

There was no autopsy, but an inquest will be scheduled.

The Stuebs family, including parents Jason and Christina and seven children, are regular campers but were on their first trip to the Indian Trails Resort in Colona. The family’s children are Danielle, 12; Madison, 10; Dyantae, 9; Hannah, 7; Dustin, 4; Jacob, 1; and Savannah, 9 months.

All members of the family suffered injuries, according to Logerquist and his sister, Judy Smith. Savannah remains hospitalized at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria with life-threatening head injuries, including brain swelling. She was in the same tent as Dustin when the tree fell.

At best, family members said, she will be hospitalized six to eight weeks but possibly longer.

“I am just beside myself. I’m hoping in the next 24, 48 hours we’ll know more,” Smith said.

Madison suffered severe facial fractures that may require reconstructive surgery. She was in a second tent with Danielle, who already had run to the family’s vehicle, but the tree fell just as Madison was at the entrance of the tent getting ready to run. Branches struck her in the face, the family said. She also was still hospitalized Tuesday, though her injuries were not as severe as Savannah’s and Dustin’s.

Hannah suffered scrapes on her leg, and Dyantae has back pain when he walks or stands up, according to family.

The family and others at the resort apparently had no warning that the fast-moving storm was approaching. It hit just before daybreak, and most campers had left the day before, so the grounds were somewhat deserted. Jason and Christina heard no warning sirens, Logerquist said, and they woke only after the downpour began.

The family, which regularly went camping because it was something fun they could do together, arrived at Indian Trails Resort on Friday and was going to stay through the week. The children had been enjoying riding their bikes and playing.

Dustin caught his first fish Sunday and had been having fun that evening capturing frogs — “He was so excited,” Smith said.

The family split up into two tents. Danielle and Madison slept in a red, yellow and blue tent, while the rest of the family slept in a larger tent nearby.

The storm, which National Weather Service meteorologists since have identified as a rare “derecho” event involving straight-line winds, blew into the campground about 6:15 a.m. A resort worker reportedly scoured the property in an effort to warn campers of the impending storm. It is unclear if he made it to the Stuebs’ site.

Jason Stuebs, realizing the severity of the storm and the danger the family was in, began rousing everyone and ushering them to the family’s vehicle for safety. In the midst of that, the oak tree fell, narrowly missing the girls’ tent but landing directly on top of the larger tent and trapping some of the family members inside.

It landed on top of Dustin Stuebs’ midsection, crushing him. It also crushed the family’s dog, Minnie, killing it.

Jason Stuebs called 911 on his cell phone, and emergency personnel were at the scene within minutes, according to Logerquist and Smith.

Their campsite was down a hill, there was an opening at the base of the hill, and the lake was just beyond their site. Family members now wonder if their location prevented them from hearing any warning sirens that might have been sounding in the distance or feeling the strong winds picking up.

It took rescuers an hour to remove the tree from on top of Dustin, a preschooler at Ball Charter.

The family is devastated by the loss of Dustin and the unknowns surrounding Savannah’s condition and recovery.

Jason Stuebs has worked at the Avenue Thrift Shop at 719 W. Jefferson St. for 14 years. He does not have medical insurance, and he recently became the family’s sole provider when Christina quit her cleaning business so she could start nursing school next month.

Three of the family’s children are foster children. All the children who were not hospitalized are staying with family members while Jason and Christina stay at the hospital in Peoria with Savannah and Madison.

Funeral arrangements for Dustin are pending. Jason and Christina are beside themselves and have not been able to turn their attention to that task, according to Logerquist, Smith and other family members who are doing all they can to help.

Meanwhile, they are trying to come to grips with and make sense of the tragedy.

“We went up there (to the campsite) to clean up, and the inside of that tree was rotted,” Logerquist said. “The odds are probably better than winning the lottery. But this isn’t luck here.”

Straight-line winds powerful as F1 tornado
July 23, 2008

Straight-line winds of 90 to 100 mph, about the equivalent of an F1 tornado, are what blew a rotting oak tree over onto the Stuebs’ family tent, killing 4-year-old Dustin Stuebs.

Meterologists at the National Weather Service in the Quad Cities since have identified the storm as a rare “derecho” event. A derecho is a long-lived windstorm associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms affecting a wide area.

“Derecho” is a Spanish word for “direct” or “straight ahead.”

Derechos are most common May through August and typically occur in the Midwest from the upper Mississippi Valley into the Ohio Valley, as well as in an area from the mid-Mississippi Valley into the southern Plains.

Dan Kelly, a meteorologist with the NWS in Lincoln, said derechos happen once a year or 18 months.

“A squall line is a lot more common. We probably get six or seven of those per year. A derecho is actually a more intense squall line, longer lasting and a little bigger, so it’s a bigger squall line,” he said.

Monday’s storm produced extreme winds that damaged an area 20 to 40 miles wide, causing downed trees and power lines. Power was knocked out to more than 130,000 residents in the Quad Cities.
Springfield baby hurt in storm remains in critical condition
July 25, 2008

A Springfield baby badly injured during a windstorm Monday at the family’s campsite near the Quad Cities remained in critical condition at a Peoria hospital on Thursday as her family began making funeral plans for her 4-year-old brother.

Savannah Stuebs, 9 months, has severe swelling of her brain, which apparently is complicated by a bruised lung doctors discovered during a CAT scan.

“Things are probably not getting better; however, they’re not getting worse,” said Savannah’s uncle, Dale Logerquist.

He said doctors believe the bruised lung is causing stress on her body that in turn is producing the fluid. They fear the girl’s lung could collapse.

“She is 100 percent on life support, not because she needs it, but because it’s easier on the body,” he said. “… She looks like a little beach ball right now. She’s so swollen because of all the IVs and everything. She’s retaining so much fluid right now.”

Savannah’s parents, Jason and Christina Stuebs, have not left OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, where the girl is hospitalized. Family members in Springfield have been helping them make funeral arrangements for their son, Dustin, who was killed when a wind-blown tree fell on the family’s tent at the Indian Trails Resort in Colona.

Jason, Christina, Dustin, Savannah and another child were sleeping in one tent, while two other daughters were sleeping in a second tent. The tree narrowly missed the daughters’ tent, but it landed on the larger one, crushing Dustin and causing Savannah’s life-threatening injuries.

The other children were injured but not as seriously as Dustin and Savannah.
Jason Stuebs, who has worked at a local not-for-profit thrift store for 14 years, has no medical insurance and was the family’s sole income.

Dustin’s funeral visitation will be Thursday, July 31, and burial will be the next day. Services will be at Calvary Temple, and arrangements still are being finalized, Logerquist said.

Dustin was a preschooler at Ball Charter School. The principal, teachers and parents there are organizing a fundraiser set for Aug. 17 at the Field House on Sangamon Avenue.

Also, Sam Alkhayyat, owner of Mariah’s Restaurant, 3317 Robbins Road, has organized an open house-style fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2.

Alkhayyat is seeking items for a silent auction, and he can be reached at 622-7600. Every dime raised will go to the family, he said.

Logerquist said numerous people from the Springfield area have been traveling to Peoria to try to visit the family. He cautioned that because of Savannah’s delicate state, there can be no visitors other than her parents in her room and no flowers, cards, food or stuffed animals.

Anyone wanting to send cards, letters and well-wishes can send them to A-Plus Pack and Ship, 2112 S. MacArthur Blvd., which is owned by Logerquist.

Meanwhile, donations for the family to assist with medical, travel, lodging and funeral costs can be made at any Marine Bank location in Springfield. Checks can be made out to “Stuebs Family Benefit.” They can be mailed to Marine Bank, 3050 Wabash Ave., Springfield, IL 62704.
Brain injuries seem severe, permanent for baby hit by tree
July 26, 2008

The family of 9-month-old Savannah Stuebs, struck by a tree while camping earlier this week, learned Friday that her brain injury is more extensive than they realized.

The Springfield girl’s uncle, Dale Logerquist, said her family is taking things day by day, but doctors have warned them that Savannah appears to have severe and permanent brain damage. Another stent was placed in her skull to relieve swelling, but it continues to be a problem.

Savannah is being treated at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Funeral arrangements are pending for her 4-year-old brother, Dustin Stuebs, a preschooler at Ball Charter School who was in the same tent as Savannah. Visitation is Thursday at Calvary Temple with funeral services the following day.

A rotted oak tree fell on the children’s tent during a violent windstorm that swept through the family’s campsite at the Indian Trails Resort in Colona near the Quad Cities on Monday morning.

The entire Stuebs family was on their first camping trip to the Colona resort. Parents Jason and Christina were sleeping in one tent with their children Dustin, Savannah, 9-year-old Dyantae, 7-year-old Hannah and 1-year-old Jacob. Their other two children, Danielle, 12, and Madison, 10, were sleeping in a second tent.

The tree narrowly missed the girls’ tent but landed on top of the larger tent.

What you can do to help:

* Give blood. Logerquist said Savannah has received a great deal of blood, and anyone who wants to help can give blood at the local donation center.
* Make a financial donation. Contributions to assist the family with funeral, medical, travel and lodging expenses are being accepted at any Marine Bank location. Checks can be made out to “Stuebs Family Benefit.” Anyone who wishes to mail a check to the fund can send it to Marine Bank, 3050 Wabash Ave., Springfield, IL 62704.
Jason Stuebs, who has worked at a local not-for-profit thrift store for 14 years, has no medical insurance and was the family’s sole income.
* Send a card. Letters, cards and well-wishes can be sent to the Stuebs family in care of A-Plus Pack and Ship, 2112 S. MacArthur Blvd., Springfield, IL 62704.
* Attend a fundraiser. Two have been scheduled so far — one from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, at Mariah’s Restaurant, 3317 Robbins Road, and another Sunday, Aug. 17, at the Field House Pizza and Pub, 3211 Sangamon Ave., organized by Ball Charter employees and parents.
Silent-auction items are being sought for both fundraisers. Call Mariah’s owner Sam Alkhayyat at 622-7600 or Ball Charter parent Steve Rockford at 525-0847 to donate items or services.

Baby injured in camping accident dies at Peoria hospital
July 28, 2008

The Springfield baby who was injured last week when a tree fell on her tent died Sunday at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Savannah Stuebs, 9 months, died at 8:52 p.m. in the hospital’s intensive care unit, Peoria County Coroner Johnna Ingersoll said.

She had been on life support, and her family made the decision to turn off the machines because doctors discovered extensive irreversible damage to her brain, her uncle, Dale Logerquist, told The State Journal-Register on Sunday.

Savannah was injured July 21 while camping with her family near the Quad Cities. She suffered head-injuries when an 18-inch diameter tree fell on the family tent. Her 4-year-old brother, Dustin Stuebs, was also killed in the accident.

Justin died the night of the accident after he was rushed to a hospital in Silvis.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Savannah Stuebs to be buried with her brother / Family loses second child injured in storm at campground
July 28, 2008

Savannah Stuebs, the 9-month-old Springfield girl who suffered fatal head injuries last week in a camping accident, will be buried Friday with her 4-year-old brother, Dustin, who was killed in the same accident.

Savannah died Sunday night at a Peoria hospital.

Her parents, Jason and Christina Stuebs, decided to remove her from life support after doctors determined during surgery Saturday that her brain was severely and irreversibly damaged.

The Stuebs donated a valve from Savannah’s heart to another child, said her uncle, Dale Logerquist.

“She’s going to live on in another child, which is good,” he said.

Visitation for Dustin and Savannah will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Calvary Temple, 1730 W. Jefferson St. It is open to the public. The funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at Calvary, with burial in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

“It makes you realize that all the problems that we had a week and a day ago are so pale and so relatively insignificant to what really in this world matters. Why worry about the little things?” Logerquist said.

“I hear people that live to be 100 saying don’t worry about the little things. It’s just so, so true. Everybody should take the moment now and kiss their kids because you don’t know what tomorrow holds.”

The accident happened at daybreak July 21 at the Indian Trails Resort in Colona near the Quad Cities. It was the Stuebs family’s first trip to that particular campground.

A storm with straight-line winds of up to 100 mph blew into the campground and pushed an 18-inch-diameter oak tree over onto one of the family’s two tents.

Jason, Christina, Dustin, Savannah and three other children — 9-year-old Dyantae, 7-year-old Hannah and 1-year-old Jacob — had been sleeping in the tent the tree fell on. Two daughters, Danielle, 12, and Madison, 10, were sleeping in a second tent a few feet away.

All the children suffered injuries of some sort, but Dustin and Savannah were the most seriously hurt. Dustin’s abdomen and legs were crushed, and he died more than two hours later at the hospital.

Madison suffered facial fractures that may require reconstructive surgery, and the other children had pain, cuts and scratches. The family’s dog, Minnie, also was crushed and died beneath the tree.