A young student who took a peaceful nap in a hammock before he met a horror ending after a tree fell on him while on a Catholic retreat in Alabama.
Malachi Crain, 22, had been sleeping in a hammock while on a camping trip with friends in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia when a tree fell on him in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Emergency services began their response to the site at around 2.12am. Crain was pronounced dead on the scene and one other camper had suffered minor injuries.
Crain’s three other friends were also sleeping in separate hammocks when the tree fell onto the campsite.
It took emergency crews over five hours to reach the remote campsite, according to Fannin County Emergency Services.
The University of Alabama senior, who was only weeks away from his graduation, became trapped beneath the tree and was found unresponsive, according to the press release.
Officials added: ‘The campsite was located approximately 4.2 miles from the nearest trailhead, requiring SAR teams to hike over 8.4 miles round-trip through difficult terrain, much of it in the dark.’
A father and daughter who were camping nearby heard the tree fall and rushed over after hearing cries for help. The pair provided immediate support to the group of friends.
Malachi Crain, 22, had been sleeping in a hammock while on a camping trip with friends in the Chattahoochee National Forest in Georgia when a tree fell on him in the early hours of Saturday morning
The other injured camper and friend of Crain was stabilized on-site and taken for further medical evaluation and treatment. Video footage from the scene showed the camper being air-lifted from the scene
The nearby campers then hiked back with the two who were uninjured, and helped them back to their vehicle after emergency services arrived.
A helicopter from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources extracted Crain and one injured camper.
The other injured camper was stabilized on-site and taken for further medical evaluation and treatment.
Video footage from the scene showed the camper being air-lifted from the scene.
The group of campers were all involved with Bama Catholic, which released a statement expressing the despair of losing Crain.
‘Malachi was a Senior at the University of Alabama and a beloved member of the Bama Catholic Community. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and computer science, he also served in many roles at Bama Catholic,’ the statement said.
‘He will be dearly missed by many… This news is shocking and difficult,’ it concluded, further offering guidance for those affected by Crain’s death.
Father Tom Ackerman of St Francis of Assisi University Parish told WBRC that Crain was the vice president of the liturgy for the student Masses.
The University of Alabama senior, who was only weeks away from his graduation, became trapped beneath the tree and was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene
Emergency services said in a release: ‘The campsite was located approximately 4.2 miles from the nearest trailhead, requiring SAR teams to hike over 8.4 miles round-trip through difficult terrain, much of it in the dark’
‘He helped arrange for different ministers, trained them and stuff like that. It was obvious he loved God, loved his fellow students and great love in his family as well,’ Ackerman continued.
Ackerman said that the tragedy was not storm-related but that the tree fell due to old age.
He tearfully added that: ‘What I tell people is the fullness of somebody’s life is not measured by the length of years but the love they lived their life with. By that measure, Malachi lived a full life.’
Funeral services are scheduled to be held tomorrow before he is buried and laid to rest.
Crain is remembered by those who knew him as an intelligent young student, who was an ‘accomplished athlete,’ a cook and ‘lover of very spicy food,’ as well as funny with a ‘great sense of humor.’
‘Malachi was super smart and his sisters considered him the most intellectual of the three Crain kids… Malachi loved his family deeply…he was the best son and brother a family could ask for,’ Crain’s obituary read.
