Kin of man killed by tree settles suit

The family of a Wyoming man whose parked van was struck by a falling ficus tree settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the city for $700,000, officials confirmed Thursday.

Firefighters cut Michael Gandy, 49, out of his van with an air chisel after the 60-foot tree crushed it during a windstorm, trapping him inside. He died several days later. An attorney for the Gandy family said it was later learned that city workers had cut the roots on both sides of the tree.

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-- Dave McKibben