A decorated New York City firefighter died in a strange accident at a North Carolina tourist attraction after a tree fell on the SUV where he and his family had been riding, according to his family.
Firefighter Casey Skudin, who was assigned to Ladder Company 137 in Rockaway, Queens, was in North Carolina with his wife and children to celebrate his 46th birthday when he died Friday afternoon. His birthday would have fallen on Father’s Day.
“Our family will be healed for eternity,” his wife, Angela Skudin, said in an Instagram post.
In a statement, the New York Fire Department described the death of Mr. Skudin of “terrible tragedy and loss,” saying he would support his family and colleagues.
The crash occurred near a front door on the Biltmore Estate, a popular tourist attraction in Asheville, when a windstorm dropped a heavy branch from a tree, which struck the vehicle. said the estate in a statement.
The wife and eldest son of Mr. Skudin escaped from the car without major injuries; her young son was hospitalized with minor injuries, Ms Skudin said on her Instagram post.
“This is a devastating tragedy and we are deeply saddened by this news. Our sincere thoughts are with the family and their loved ones, and we are offering assistance right now,” Biltmore Estate said. The estate is a complex of 8,000 acres and the former castle of George W. Vanderbilt.
Mr. Skudin, who had been a finalist in his fire academy class, had worked for an independent engine company in Brooklyn before moving to the stairwell in Rockaways, where he was a capable rescue swimmer. according to the Fire Department. In 2009, he was awarded the Department of Fire Chiefs Memorial Medal of the department after entering the water, untied, to rescue a surfer who was drowning on the beach at 96th Street.
Mr. Skudin came from a well-known surfing family that runs several popular surf shops and surf lessons in Long Beach, Long Island and Rockaway under the name Skudin Surf. A lifelong surfer, he was a lifeguard in Hempstead, New York, for two decades, said his cousin Cliff Skudin.
“Casey was an amazing human being,” he said. “This is so tragic and it’s beyond anything you can imagine.”
Mr. Skudin was constantly outdoors, his cousin said, and used to take his family to Montauk, NY, or go hiking. He regularly competed in triathlons, was part of the Fire Department’s surf team, and was also a CrossFit coach.
On Sunday, Skudin Surf set up a monument where friends and loved ones could pass by and sign Mr. Skudin, said Cliff Skudin. The store plans to hold a ceremonial paddle-out in his memory on June 26 at Lido West Beach.