A decorated firefighter in New York died in a strange accident at a tourist attraction in North Carolina after a tree fell on the SUV in which he and his family were riding, according to his family.
Firefighter Casey Scuddin, 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 fall on Father’s Day.
“Our family will heal forever,” his wife, Angela Scuddin, said in an Instagram post.
In a statement, the New York Fire Department called Mr Skudin’s death a “terrible tragedy and loss”, saying it would support his family and colleagues.
The accident happened near the entrance gate to the Biltmore Estate, a popular tourist attraction in Asheville, when a windstorm blew up a heavy branch of a tree that hit the vehicle, a statement from the mansion said.
Mr Skudin’s wife and older child escaped from the car without serious injury; his younger child was hospitalized with minor injuries, Ms. Skudin said in her Instagram post.
“This is a devastating tragedy and we are deeply saddened by this news. Our heartfelt thoughts are with the family and their loved ones and we are offering help at this time, “said Biltmore Estate. The property is an extensive 8,000-acre resort and the former castle of George W. Vanderbilt.
Mr Skudin, who was an educator in his class at the Fire Academy, worked for a separate engine company in Brooklyn before moving to the Rockaway Staircase, where he was a capable lifeguard, according to the fire service. In 2009, he was awarded the Departmental Fire Chiefs Association Memorial Medal after entering the water, unattached to rescue a drowning surfer from 96th Street Beach.
Mr. Scudin comes from a well-known surf family that runs several popular surf shops and surf classes in Long Beach, Long Island and Rockaway under the name Skudin Surf. A lifelong surfer, he has been the savior of the city of Hempstead, New York, for two decades, said his cousin Cliff Scudin.
“Casey was an amazing person,” he said. “It’s so tragic and it’s beyond anything you can imagine.”
Mr. Scuddin was constantly out in the open, his cousin said, and he took his family to Montauk, New York, or on hikes. He regularly competes in triathlon, was on the fire surfing team and was a CrossFit coach.
On Sunday, Skudin Surf gathered a memorial where friends and family can stop by and sign Mr. Skudin’s surfboard, Cliff Scudin said. The store plans to make a ceremonial rowing in his memory on June 26 at Lido West Beach.
Add Comment