‘Something’s really wrong’: 6-year-old dies after driftwood falls on him while playing at beach

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (KING) - A trip to the beach ended in tragedy in Washington state.

Killian Gonzales, 6, died Sunday, days after a large driftwood log fell on him while he was playing.

A trip to Little Squalicum Beach in Bellingham with his sister and babysitter was a familiar routine until July 8, when it turned into every parent’s worst nightmare.

“Starting to think, OK, something really big is happening, something. Something’s really wrong,” Killian’s mother, Sonja McCartney, said.

McCartney said Killian was doing what he loved — exploring and playing around a driftwood fort when a log came down.

“When the log started to fall, he tried to turn and run, and he got a 200 pound driftwood log to the back of his head and was pinned on the left side of his body,” she said.

By the time his parents arrived, first responders were already working to save him.

“His heart had stopped and was not beating on his own. They were doing CPR and had been for a few minutes,” Killian’s father, Marcos Gonzales, said.

Killian was flown to the hospital.

“He was intubated. His face was just covered in blood. I mean he’s just 6. He’s this tiny little thing in this huge bed,” McCartney said.

The fall left Killian with severe injuries including skull fractures, a broken nose and a collapsed lung.

He died four days later.

A fundraiser has now raised more than $53,000 to help support Killian’s family.

His parents said their hearts are broken for the little boy they loved.

Killian’s parents said they are grateful to the doctors and nurses who cared for him, calling their efforts “extraordinary” despite the heartbreaking outcome.