Widow files lawsuit against Biltmore after husband hit, killed by tree on property
The Biltmore Estate faces a lawsuit for a New York City firefighter’s death on the property last month, WLOS reports.
Casey Skudin was driving with his family near the entrance when a tree fell on their car during windy weather on June 17. Skudin would have turned 46 two days later, Fire Department of New York spokesperson Jim Long told the Citizen Times.
The lawsuit, filed by Skudin’s widow, names the Biltmore Company, Biltmore Estate wine company, and village hotel on the Biltmore Estate as defendants, according to WLOS. It claims the Biltmore knowingly kept up a massive rotting tree instead of removing it.
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Skudin’s widow told WLOS photos included in the suit show that Biltmore inadequately installed cables to “merely keep the tree upright, instead of taking the appropriate measure of cutting the tree down and eliminating the potentially fatal risk.”
Skudin was a decorated firefighter in New York. He had 16 years of service and worked in the Rockaway area of Queens with Ladder 137, Long said. Skudin was married to Angela Skudin and had two children, he said.
Skudin was also a rescue surfer and lifeguard and was awarded the Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal in 2010 for his bravery in diving into the frigid ocean during a 2009 storm to help rescue a surfer trapped underwater by his surfboard leash, Long said.
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Biltmore provided the following statement to WLOS on July 20 in response to the lawsuit:
“We received notification of a lawsuit filed by Arnold and Itkin Trial Lawyers on behalf of their clients, Angela Skudin and her two children. The complaint is regarding a tragic accident on our entrance road that resulted in fatal injuries to Ms. Skudin’s husband, Casey, and injuries to their son. A portion of a tree fell during a period of high winds and struck the guest’s vehicle as they entered the estate. There have been multiple eyewitness accounts of a short duration high wind event around that time. There are no words to express our deep sorrow for the Skudin family’s unimaginable loss and we offer them our deepest sympathy.
“We are preparing our answer to this lawsuit and will not provide further details while in litigation. We adamantly deny all allegations of willful or intentional conduct on the part of Biltmore, as well as the allegations of negligence. We will present all of the facts about this heartbreaking accident through the legal process.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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