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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Woman killed in windstorm was ‘tireless’ and ‘beloved’ Spokane pediatrician

A woman in her 40s died after a tree fell on her Honda C-RV at 27th Avenue and Post Street, near Comstock Park after high winds hit the Spokane area, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.  (DAN PELLE/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW)
By Emma Epperly and Maggie Quinlan The Spokesman-Review

Dr. Melanie Sanborn, the mother of a young daughter, was a “remarkable” woman dedicated to healing children, her friends said Thursday.

During Wednesday’s storm, a tree fell on a car at 27th Avenue and Post Street, killing Sanborn, according to the Spokane County Medical Examiner.

“Melanie was a tireless advocate for kids and beloved by her patients,” said Dr. Glen Baird, Shriners Hospitals for Children Chief of Staff, in a statement Thursday.

Sanborn was hired in 2015 as a pediatric hospitalist at Shriners and cared for children undergoing surgery. She also managed the specialty clinics for kids living with osteogenesis imperfecta and muscular dystrophy, Baird wrote.

“Her loss to our staff, patients and families will be felt for some time,” Baird wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family during this terribly sad time.”

Angela Huntington, a high school friend of Sanborn, wrote in a Facebook post Thursday that she was in disbelief upon hearing the news.

“This woman was the most remarkable person I have ever known and I am so sad and shocked to hear that she is gone,” Huntington wrote.

Sanborn, who died from blunt-force trauma, is survived by her daughter and husband, a fellow Spokane doctor.

A Post Falls man also died Wednesday after a tree fell along State Highway 97 and hit his car, sending him off a nearby embankment, according to the Idaho State Police.

Reporter Emma Epperly contributed to this story.