Authorities identify Stateline man killed when pine tree crushed home

A Stateline man died Dec. 12, 2022, after the first heavy snowstorm of the season toppled a pine tree that crushed his home and struck him on the head.

Gerard M. Turiano, 59, was identified as the deceased on Friday, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Turiano was struck in the head by a branch that pierced the roof of the home at 191 William Lane, according to a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office report. Deputies and Tahoe Douglas firefighters responded to a 911 call from a neighbor who said he saw and heard the large pine strike Turiano’s home. He said he could hear Turiano’s wife screaming for help, according to the report.

The neighbor called 911 after witnessing Turiano on the floor with a head wound.

Upon deputies’ arrival on scene, they found a large pine tree branch, about 6-feet long with the circumference of a softball bat, on the living room floor next to the victim. Located above the branch was a large hole in the roof.

Tahoe Douglas medics arrived before deputies and requested an ambulance helicopter, but the storm kept it grounded. Medics transported Turiano to Barton Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The tree also damaged a neighboring home, whose owner was advised of the damage.

Turiano’s father, Norman, and mother, Elaine, purchased the property in 1989 after moving from New Jersey upon his retirement. Norman Turiano died in the home in 2000 after a long bout with cancer.

Dec. 11 saw one of the first big storms at Lake Tahoe where 30 inches was reported to have fallen at Glenbrook. Power was out to around 1,400 NV Energy customers that morning and firefighters had to move tree limbs to get to some locations at Tahoe.