Families sue Spokane International Airport after two men killed by falling tree nearby

A newly filed lawsuit claims the Spokane International Airport is responsible for a dead tree that fell and killed two men while they were driving on the highway during a windstorm last year.

Elisha Brian, 30, and Eric Saint, 56, died from blunt-force injuries after a tree on U.S. Highway 2 near Sunset Frontage Road landed on their box truck on Dec. 18.

Their estate and families claim in a lawsuit filed this week that the tree resided on airport property and “had been dead for years.” The airport knew the tree was dead and did nothing to fix it, knowing it posed a danger to people nearby if it fell due to its decay, the lawsuit claims.

The Spokane International Airport said they have not been served and declined to comment.

Investigators said at the time they believed high winds caused the tree to topple, previous reporting states. According to the lawsuit, the tree was not uprooted, but instead broke at ground level.

Strong wind gusts caused around 30 other trees to fall in city limits and also knocked out power across the region that morning. Two large trees uprooted and fell on Nevada Street at North Avenue in north Spokane, and 5,890 Avista Utilities customers were without power until 1 p.m. that day, according to previous reporting.

“Wind forces acting on the tree at the time it broke were insufficient to break a live, healthy Yellow Western Pine tree,” the lawsuit says.

Brian was a former Horizon Air employee and current employee at Stericycle in Spokane. He left behind four children, including a 1-year-old, a GoFundMe post states.

“His children were his pride and joy, and he worked tirelessly to provide them with love, guidance, and a bright future,” it says.

Saint also worked for Stericycle, according to the family’s attorney. His GoFundMe says he is grieved by his family, friends and community.

The families’ attorney, Brandon Batchelor, wrote in a statement Thursday that the loss of Saint and Brian is “devastating.”

“They left behind wives, children, grandkids, and countless others in their grieving community. These two good men were taken far too early. The Airport knew the tree was dead and had been dead for years,” Batchelor said. “The Airport knew it could fall and hurt someone on the highway. It could have hurt a member of my family or yours. The Airport did not cut down the tree. They did not act. They did not make the situation safe. We will hold them accountable and find justice for our clients.”

The families of Saint and Brian are asking for compensation for the costs they incurred from their deaths and any other relief the court deems appropriate.