A New York City widow is suing the historic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, after a trip to the popular landmark turned into a fatal tragedy.

Angela Skudin’s husband Casey Skudin was driving through the estate’s entrance when a rotting tree fell onto the couple’s rental vehicle. The couple’s two sons were also in the vehicle and sustained injuries as well.

According to the lawsuit which was filed on behalf of herself and her two children, the couple’s 10-year-old son sustained spinal fracture injuries and a partially collapsed lung. The suit also details that her husband died after sustaining a fatal neck injury upon the impact of the fallen tree.

In an interview with local outlet Long Island News, Skudin’s widow recounted the harrowing experience. “It landed right on the car, right on Casey. Everybody was knocked out except me. And I just got through the window, got over to him…his hands were blue,” Skudin recounted. “I held them and I kissed him and just told him the truth that he was the best husband and best father and that it was OK for him to let go. And I slid his wedding ring off his finger and put it on mine.”

Skudin’s complaint lays the blame squarely on the estate. The complaint explains that the estate knew the tree was rotting and that it posed a safety hazard to visitors. The complaint details, “Defendants knowingly and intentionally kept a massive, rotted tree on its property next to a main road where Defendants knew it would cause great harm when it fell.”

The suit goes on to accuse the estate of opting for unsafe measures of securing the tree instead. “Despite this knowledge, Defendants decided to install inadequate cables to try and merely keep the tree upright, instead of taking the appropriate measure of cutting the tree down and eliminating the potentially fatal risk,” the complaint accuses.

Following the fatal incident, Biltmore issued a statement that denied the allegations made in the suit. Instead, the statement blamed bad weather for the tragedy. “A portion of a tree fell during a period of high winds and struck the guest’s vehicle as they entered the estate,” the statement explained. “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.”

In a Facebook post, Skudin defended her suit sharing, “I want answers and I want to make sure the rest of their property is safe so that no other person has to feel the pain of grief and loss that my entire family is feeling.”

Casey Skudin was visiting the estate from New York where he was a decorated firefighter. The family trip was a celebration of Casey Skudin’s 46th birthday which was two days after the fatal tragedy.

The family’s lawsuit accuses Biltmore of gross negligence. The suit is seeking punitive damages in excess of $25,000 in medical bills, mental pain and suffering, and lost wages. The suit names The Biltmore Company, the Biltmore Estate Wine Company, and the Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate as defendants.