10-year-old Clarksville boy killed in tornado
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — One of the three people who died in Clarksville during the tornado outbreak across Middle Tennessee Saturday has been identified as a 10-year-old boy.
Arlan Coty died as his two-story home on Henry Place Boulevard collapsed when an EF-3 blew through his neighborhood, trapping two of three children under the rubble. A neighbor pulled the children from the debris, their father Kyle Burnham told Clarksville Now. Sadly, Arlan did not survive. He was a fourth-grader at West Creek Elementary School.
Henry Place Boulevard was one of the areas hit hardest by the storm and two others died in the immediate area.
The tornado ripped through the neighborhood as Kyle Burnham was at work a few miles down the road.
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“We got the call that his neighbor told him his house was destroyed. He immediately left work and then got the call that his son passed, and I was overwhelmed with emotion, and we left work to go be with him by his side,” explained family friend Brian Burkeen.
Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) Henry Place Boulevard damage (Photo: WKRN) (Courtesy: Wright Imgs)
On Sunday, an estimated 50 people all came to Henry Place Boulevard to help the family gather mementos and be there for emotional support.
Burkeen told News 2 this is a perfect example of how the community of Clarksville is always there for one another. He also established a GoFundMe fundraiser for the family. As of Monday, it has raised more than $100,000.
Donations for the family are being collected at Wyatt Johnson Toyota, 2595 Wilma Rudolph Boulevard. As far as what they need? “They need everything,” Burkeen said. “They lost everything.”
Clothing sizes:
Kyle: XL shirts, 38 pants, 10.5 shoes
Mother: M/L shirt, M pants, 7 shoes
13-year-old girl: S shirt, S pants, 8 shoes
Boy: 6/7 in everything but on the small side, 13.5 boys shoe or 1 men’s shoe
PHOTOS: Aftermath of deadly tornado outbreak in Middle TN
Clarksville reported 65 structures have minor damage, 339 have moderate damage and 271 have major damage, rendering them uninhabitable. An estimated 91 structures were totally destroyed.
Fifty-three people in Clarksville were hospitalized for treatment of injuries sustained in the tornado.
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