A decorated FDNY veteran from Long Beach who died after a tree branch fell on a car in North Carolina carrying him, his wife and two sons, was remembered Sunday as a loving husband and “all you have to be a father” .
Casey Scuddin, who will turn 46 on Sunday, was on a family vacation on Friday to celebrate his birthday and Father’s Day, when a 2,000-kilogram tree branch fell on the vehicle while he was driving his wife Angela and sons. Ben, 19, and CJ, 10, up the alley of Biltmore Estate in Asheville.
Scudin was killed instantly, Angela Scudin told Newsday on Saturday. The four were transported to Mission Hospital in Asheville, a Biltmore Estate spokeswoman said. Two sons were injured, one seriously, and Angela Skudin received scratches, she said online.
“I knew my husband was gone,” said Angela Scuddin. “So I just took his hand and told him he was the best. He was the best father. ”
Scudin was a 16-year-old FDNY veteran assigned to Ladder 137 in Rockaway, a department spokesman said. He has twice been awarded for bravery. One of those praises came after Skudin helped rescue a surfer caught in extremely strong currents and cool water in November 2009.
“He was a great man, a great firefighter,” said Joseph Durkin, also an FDNY firefighter, Sunday as he battled his tears in front of the fire station where he worked with Scudin.
“I loved my job, I loved this fire department,” Darkin said. “He was a man you could count on.”
Scudin’s cousin, Cliff Scudin, also from Long Beach, said the trip to North Carolina was the family’s first vacation since the coronavirus pandemic. Casey Scuddin drew an outdoor route filled with hiking and white water rafting. The family planned to go to an indie rock concert on Saturday, his cousin said.
“He was full of life,” said Cliff Scudin. “He loved to take his children on trips and hikes. He was a superfather. He was all a father should be. ”
A spokeswoman for Biltmore Estate, a tourist attraction in Asheville that includes a historic mansion, said the strong winds caused by the weather were to blame for the fallen tree and that an investigation was under way.
“This is a devastating tragedy and we are deeply saddened by this news,” Biltmore said in a statement. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with family and their loved ones and we are offering help at this time.”
Scudin Ben’s son, a rising junior at Cornell University, got a black eye. CJ was hospitalized Saturday night due to a partially collapsed lung and complex fractures in the spine and sternum, according to Angela Scudin. She called the survival of her sons after the ordeal a “literal miracle.”
Cliff Scudin said his cousin, a surfing colleague, was the rock of his community, not only as a firefighter but also as a savior of the city of Hempstead. The Scudins are also a major part of the Long Beach community: Cliff Scudin co-owns the well-known Skudin Surf School, and Angela Scudin owns The Codfish Cowboy, a curated shop.
“Long Beach is our family, the brothers and sisters of FDNY are our family, the city of Hempstead is our family,” said Cliff Scudin. “This is the only thing that can comfort us. So many people loved him and will be with Angela and the children. ”
Cliff Scudin said the family was still preparing for a memorial service on Sunday, but he had already decided to honor Scudin at 9 a.m. on June 26 with a paddle near Lido Beach. Padle-out is a floating memorial consisting of surfers, rowers, kayakers and others who go out on the water to offer words of remembrance for the deceased.
Casey Scuddin was juggling day-to-day household chores and supporting his wife in her interior design business as she battled Lyme disease, which kept her bedridden for 18 months, she said. He finally got back on time for their family vacation.
The two – neighbors living across the street at the time in Point Lookout – met 20 years ago, Scudin said. Ben was a baby when his mother married Scuddin, and on his 18th birthday, Scudine legally adopted him.
“The greatest gift he has ever given me is that he adopted our eldest son Ben and made us a full family,” said Angela Scuddin.
With Debbie Egan-Chin and Matthew Chase
By Michael O’Keefe and Brinley Heinman
Add Comment