For years, Danielle Davis-Conklin lived with her husband, two children, dog and three cats in their home in Eddyville, south of Kingston. The family had paid off its mortgage, and her husband had put what Davis-Conklin described as “blood, sweat and tears” into renovating and maintaining the house. They had even survived Hurricane Irene, when the first floor flooded.

Recently, Davis-Conklin had a new stove installed. She only got to use it once before a dead tree on a neighboring property destroyed their home.

Davis-Conklin said she and her husband had known the tree was dead for five years and repeatedly urged their neighbor, with whom they were friendly, to remove it. Her husband even offered to take it down himself if the neighbor rented a lift. Davis-Conklin also contacted the county about removing the tree, but was told that because it was on private property, officials could not intervene.

“About five years ago, the base of the tree had significant decay. You could see visible holes, and then progressively, it got worse, and then it started having no leaves on it,” Davis-Conklin said. “Repeatedly, the homeowner kept reassuring him he would take care of it.”

(Multiple attempts to reach the neighbor for comment received no response.)

On March 12, just before 10 p.m., Davis-Conklin's concerns became reality. She heard what she described as “the worst explosive noise I've ever heard in my life.”

The house went dark and filled with debris. Her daughter screamed from the other side of the house, while Davis-Conklin, her husband and son were in the living room. After escaping, they discovered that the tree had crushed their bedroom, punctured the first floor and destroyed their septic system.

None of the family members were injured, something Davis-Conklin credits to the television show “The Pitt.” She and her husband had been preparing for bed when he suggested watching the latest episode. Had they gone to sleep, the tree would have fallen directly on them.

Davis-Conklin said there had been no storm or significant wind that night to explain the collapse. In her view, the tree fell because it was dead, something she said other neighbors could confirm through photographs and videos.

For Davis-Conklin, the incident also highlights a broader problem involving second-home owners and weekend residents who, she believes, do not adequately maintain their properties.

“The people that are coming into Ulster County, it's great for our area because they're bringing in more tourism, but they're having these weekend homes, and they're really not maintaining their property,” Davis-Conklin said. “There should be more legislation that if you have a weekend home, there needs to be somebody that does maintenance for your property.”

The destruction has left her family without a permanent place to live. Finding temporary housing that would accommodate their pets proved difficult, and they now live in a two-bedroom hotel room with only a refrigerator and microwave. They have lost most of their clothing and all their furniture, and have been forced to eat out for every meal.

According to Davis-Conklin, the neighbor initially expressed remorse, contacted his insurance company and made a small donation to the family's GoFundMe campaign. However, she said communication eventually stopped as the family began expressing its belief that the neighbor, rather than the insurance company, was responsible for the damage.

She also recalled an interaction on Memorial Day, when the neighbor joked to her husband, who was working, about needing to remove the property's other trees. Davis-Conklin described the remark as a “smack to the face.”

Although she said she and her husband are not typically the type to sue, they felt they had no other choice.

“I'm not asking [the neighbor] to give me a million dollars. I'm asking you to replace what you broke,” Davis-Conklin said. “I don't want a single dollar more than what it's going to cost to replace my home.”

The neighbor's insurance company has also been a source of frustration. Davis-Conklin said the insurer contacted the family the day after the incident and requested photographs of the damage but declined to send an adjuster to inspect the property. Uncomfortable with that arrangement, she hired her own adjuster and structural engineer to assess the damage.

She described the insurance company's subsequent response as “deny and deflect” and said the family has received no financial assistance from the insurer.

Davis-Conklin also contacted local and federal officials, including U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger and state Sen. Michelle Hinchey, as well as the housing nonprofit RUPCO, hoping to find resources for families in similar situations. She said those efforts did not produce any assistance.

Instead, the family has relied on a GoFundMe campaign to help cover living expenses. The fundraiser has collected approximately $16,000 toward its $42,000 goal, but Davis-Conklin said donations have stalled. With the family and its pets living in a hotel, she is unable to work. Their daughter has tried to help, but has her own expenses to manage.

Beyond the financial strain, Davis-Conklin said the experience has left her with lasting trauma. Loud noises now frighten her, and living in a hotel has contributed to feelings of depression. She has gone more than 200 days without being able to cook for her family, something she particularly misses as the holidays approach.

“I cried last night like a baby, because I miss pork chops. I miss being able to cook a pork chop on a stove. I miss the simple things, stovetop stuffing. I miss making my own sauce,” Davis-Conklin said.

With the damage too extensive to repair and an apartment financially out of reach, the family hopes to have the remains of their home demolished before winter and replace it with a smaller modular house.

Their new home would be a single-story, 1,600-square-foot structure, considerably smaller than their previous two-story, 2,100-square-foot house. Davis-Conklin said they are not concerned with extra features or upgrades. They simply want a place to call their own.

“I don't care about the extra stuff. I want four walls of my own. I want to be able to walk outside. I want to be able to let my dog out, not on a leash anymore,” Davis-Conklin said. “I want to be able to leave my house and go to a store without having to make plans for my husband not to work one day.”

Davis-Conklin said there has been little progress on the family's lawsuit. She has also spoken with CBS in Albany in hopes of bringing attention to the incident and encouraging other property owners to take concerns about potentially dangerous trees seriously.

“I'm hoping my story can resonate with someone else, and hopefully that they take a look at their property and they do whatever they can to listen to the concerns of their neighbors,” Davis-Conklin said. “If you're a weekender you need to have somebody that maintains your property. There needs to be somebody held accountable. It's not fair at all.”

To support the family, visit their GoFundMe campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-conklin-family-rebuild-after-tree-damage