High winds that toppled a tree on Thursday in southern Oregon ended up killing a homeless man camping in a snowy area off the Pacific Crest Trail.

The man, Phillip Crosby, was camping in a tent at about 5,000 feet behind Mt. Ashland Ski Lodge when the winds whipped through, felling one tree that slammed into another, said Lt. Marty Clark of the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. The second tree fell on Crosby's tent, severely injuring him.

After he got hit, he told his son who was camping in another tent that he couldn't breathe, Clark said. His son, 18-year-old Alexander Crosby, tried to perform CPR but his father died before first responders arrived. Crosby called 911 about 5:30 a.m.

Their dog was injured as well. Clark said the animal was limping.

The winds hit in the morning, Clark said. The two were camping in an area blanketed with about two inches of snow. Clark said they probably had no idea a storm was coming because they'd been camping and hiking and did not have a car.

They had recently been living in Sunny Valley north of Grants Pass but recently lost their home, Clark said. They were trying to get to Arizona.

Maslow Project, a nonprofit that helps homeless youth, is helping Crosby, Clark said. The teen has a mother in Washington state and a grandmother in Montana.

"He's pretty distraught as any kid would be going through that," Clark said.

-- Lynne Terry