Biltmore Estate Sued Over Fatality Involving Hazardous Tree

The wife of a decorated New York City firefighter is suing the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, after a tree on the property fell on the family car and killed her husband, according to a lawsuit.

Angela Skudin alleges that when she and her husband, Casey Skudin, were celebrating Casey’s birthday at the estate on June 17 with their two children, a rotting tree fell on their car, fatally breaking Casey’s neck and inflicting multiple spinal fractures on their 10-year-old son, according to the suit filed in Buncombe County, North Carolina last week.

Casey Skudin was a 16-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department and a recipient of an FDNY Medal, according to the suit.

The lawsuit accuses the Biltmore of knowing the tree was rotting to a dangerous degree and failing to remove it, instead installing cables to keep it standing.