In a sad turn of events, The Pokemon Company International Creative Director, Eric Medalle, has died in an unfortunate accident at the age of 42.

Medalle was caught in a severe windstorm with his daughter Sunday in Washington State, and around 1:30 in the afternoon a massive tree was uprooted, falling on his car and crushing him. A pedestrian was able to save his daughter from the wreck, and the young toddler only suffered minor injuries.

The windstorm clocked reported speeds of at least 55 mph, and would cause knock down several trees and power lines in the Seattle area. Over the weekend, it was reported that over 300,000 people lost power. Medalle, thus far, is the only reported fatality.

Medalle leaves behind his wife, Carrie, and his two daughters, Isa (6) and Nico (2). According to Gamespot, a YouCaring found has been established for his two daughters, asking for donations to ensure that both of them will be able to pay to college when they grow up. The funding page has already raised $26,000 out of a $50,000 goal.

Medalle was a veteran with The Pokemon Company, working as a designer for several of the Pokemon games and products since 2003. He has mostly contributed illustrations for several different lines, including the failed Pokemon Trading Figure Game, logo designs for the international releases of the Pokemon Trading Card Game, as well as a few cards for the popular TCG, as shown below.

Illustration by Eric Medalle

For the videogames, Medalle worked as a creative director, contributing artwork and illustrations for the english versions of Pokemon Rangers: Shadows of Almia, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver, and Pokemon Black and White. He also did graphic design for Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire, and Pokemon Conquest.

Rest in peace to Mr. Medalle. What are your thoughts on this story? Leave your comments below.