A maple branch crushed a parked truck at the Lake Padden boat launch on Opening Day. About a dozen bystanders cleared the debris and kept the ramp open. No injuries. (Photo: Chris Weigel)
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — A large tree limb fell onto a fisherman’s truck Saturday afternoon at the Lake Padden boat launch parking area, disrupting Opening Day activity and briefly blocking access to the ramp.
Tristan Demers owned the GMC 3/4-ton sitting in the lot when a branch broke free from a maple tree and landed on it. A post from Chris Weigel in the Bellingham Hub community group described what happened as he first alerted others to the incident.
“Sorry to whomever owns this GMC 3/4 ton,” Weigel wrote. “A large branch fell from a maple tree onto your truck at the Lake Padden boat launch area this afternoon. Many people chipped in to remove the branches from your truck and the roadway.”
No injuries were reported.
Community Rallies to Clear Debris
What could have been a longer shutdown of the boat launch quickly became a coordinated cleanup effort by bystanders. Weigel told PNW Daily that roughly a dozen people helped remove the debris from the truck and surrounding roadway.
“I can’t be sure exactly how many, but most likely a dozen,” Weigel said. “I didn’t come back up until most of the debris had been cleared because my teenage son was down at the launch with my boat and I felt it was necessary to help direct boat traffic that was backing up.”
The impromptu effort helped keep the launch operational during one of the busiest fishing days of the season. In a follow-up exchange, Weigel added simply: “Yep. Bellingham is a great place.”
A good day fishing turned bad. Thanks everyone who helped move the tree off my rig.
— Tristan Demers, truck owner
Fisherman Drives Damaged Truck Home
Demers said what started as a good day on the water turned into an unexpected ordeal.
“That was my truck. A good day fishing turned bad,” Demers said. “Thanks everyone who helped move the tree off my rig, was able to hook up my trailer and get my boat home. Luckily it was a short distance and nobody was hurt during the ordeal.”
When asked about driving the damaged vehicle, Demers said even law enforcement signed off on it. “The cop told me to,” he said. “I was surprised. Short distance.”
Despite the damage, Demers kept a good attitude about the day overall. “Yes we caught fish,” he told PNW Daily. “I did drive it a short ways home and the body shop is coming to get the vehicle to assess damage today. Kind of a bummer but these things happen I guess.”
He also made a point to recognize the strangers who stepped up at the launch. “Yeah that was a sizeable piece of timber,” Demers said.
Lake Padden Opening Day Continues
After bystanders cleared the debris, the rest of the day passed without incident.
The Lake Padden boat launch is a popular early-season destination for local anglers. This past Saturday was the lowland lake opener, with more than 128,000 anglers and many at Lake Padden.
Lake Padden was one of 67 surveyed lakes statewide, according to WDFW, with 469,554 trout caught and nearly 300,000 kept at an average of 3.6 fish per angler caught or released.
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