Five-year-old Glen Ellen boy killed by falling tree

Kenwood student Nicholas Musser-Kirby was killed while riding in his family’s pickup truck, Tuesday on Bennett Valley Road, east of Santa Rosa. The parents Michael Kirby and Diane Musser-Kirby, and young friend Elena Kolling, were also in the truck, returning from an outing when a oak large tree fell, hitting the truck directly in the cab.
Michael Kirby sustained facial fractures in the accident. He was scheduled for reconstructive surgery Wednesday evening at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The other two passengers suffered minor injuries.
“Our entire school and community is devastated for the family,” said Bob Bales, principal at Kenwood Elementary School. “We’re doing our best to provide outlets for grief for students and family as well as to assist the family in every way possible.”
Nicholas Musser-Kirby was in the pre-school program at the school. His brother Christopher is in the fourth grade.
Michael Kirby, 43, is currently a Marin County Sheriff’s deputy. He was a deputy with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department for five years before joining the Marin organization. The family lives in Glen Ellen.