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Freakin tree fell on the Av last night....

Beach

Beach

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Mar 15, 2002
Messages
887
Location
Southern Delaware
...just when we're about to trade the Av in (still perfect with no dents and flawless paint, mind you), we get a thunderstorm last night right at bed time for everyone in the house. Some thunder and a few really loud cracks of lightening around the house (cut the power for about 10 seconds), but nothing seemed to have happened and we heard nothing.

Then this morning, I was awakened at 5am with my mother yelling like she just was stabbed, ran out, and saw a tree about 6 inches thick laying across the roof of my dad's Buick and also on the Av!!!! :8: :8:

Ran outside, my dad already with a saw, and saw that the tree had apparently gotten cracked by lightening last night and fell from our neigherbor's yard, landed on the Buick's roof and all the thick, sharp branches had smacked the side of the Av and brushed downward! We got it all off, and wouldn't you know it, the Buick was completely unharmed, with the Av getting the damage. Various scratches on the front passenger's door and a light crease/dent in the sheetmetal about 3" long. None of the scratches are very deep (a recent polish & wax actually seems to have helped protect the paint) and I should be able to get them out with my buffer, but the crease will still be there. It's not terrible either, but sticks out like crazy on a truck with otherwise unharmed black paint! :8: :8:

Suggestion? Never let your neighbor keep half-dead trees around, especially when they're right next to your cars! :8:

Well, the dealer already gave us a trade-in appraisal on paper....let's just hope they don't need a second look :3: .
 
sorry to hear!! BUT if it was your NEIGHBOURS fault, then YOUR NEIGHBOURS insurance policy should cover the damage!!!

IF they still won't take the trade due to the damage, then ask your NEIGHBOUR to BUY you a new Av !! (y)
 
I feel your pain.. :8:
It seems no matter wher you park or drive, something will get to it. :E:
I keep mine garaged but realize that it's no safe haven there either. I hope it all works out for you! :cautious:
 
Yakmar said:
sorry to hear!! BUT if it was your NEIGHBOURS fault, then YOUR NEIGHBOURS insurance policy should cover the damage!!!
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This is true, your neighbor's homeowners insurance should cover the damage.

Hope you got some pictures :eek: with the tree laying on your Av for the insurance company.
 
And the last one.

It's really not that big of a deal....more of a really, really aggravating nuisance. The scratches won't be that hard to deal with, just some work with the buffer. The crease, however, while not severe at all (looks more like a parking lot ding than anything else) just seems bad because it's the only one on the truck.

Shouldn't need repairs, though. Mom (the Av owner) was freaking out to the max and is a very, very mad woman today at work. I looked at it this way: Can you see primer or metal through the scratches? No. Are the windows all intact? Yes. Then there's really nothing that severe--I mean, at least the truck wasn't crushed like you see on the news all the time.

The Buick, on the other hand, is just another story. That car is built like a tank and the sheetmetal must be the same way--no scratches, no dents, and it took the brunt of the impact!
 

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Oh, and if you're wondering from the pics, the Av is to the right of the Bu-Rod, just like it is in my sig.
 
Bummer... on the bright side, you do have a written estimate to the Avs previous worth. Any reduction to that when you go to trade it in is a verifiable loss the neighbors insurance should cover.
 
pdxkevin said:
Bummer... on the bright side, you do have a written estimate to the Avs previous worth. Any reduction to that when you go to trade it in is a verifiable loss the neighbors insurance should cover.
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Yes, that is also correct!! VERY good thinking, Kevin!! (y)
 
Last night the TV stations kept scrolling warnings for severe thunderstorms in Delaware. We got a tiny bit of it last night, but nothing like Delaware!
 
My experience is that Homeowners Ins will NOT cover any vehicle that is licensed for the road. You will have to turn it into your auto INS. It will be covered under comprehensive coverage and should not raise your rates.
I had a BIG tree fall in a storm. It fell across the neighbors drive and took out the power lines going to his home. It ruined his service entrance and did a little other damage. HIS Ins paid his damage, not mine!
Regardless, the dealer should still honor the trade. He will just deduct the damage and your ins should pay you back for that!


Good Luck and let us know what happens, Butch
 
Yakmar said:
sorry to hear!! BUT if it was your NEIGHBOURS fault, then YOUR NEIGHBOURS insurance policy should cover the damage!!!

IF they still won't take the trade due to the damage, then ask your NEIGHBOUR to BUY you a new Av !! (y)
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I don't think it works like that. If a tree is planted in my yard, but grows leaning all the way into my neighbors yard, then technically the portion of the tree that passes my property line into my neighbors property line, is theirs. It's their job to maintain that portion of the tree. If it over hangs into his property, then he is allowed to cut the tree up to his property line. The stump could be left be hind in your neighbors yard and they would have to decide then if they want to have their portion removed.
Don't forget, when you buy property, you're not just getting land, you're getting the rights to build up too. (Zoning laws apply too)
 
Well, I really don't think any insurance is going to have to get involved in anything. I saw the truck again now that it's fully daylight and there's just quite a few light scratches down and around the one door--I can handle those. And the crease, well, it isn't very big and just looks like a minor parking lot ding, so once again nothing major.

Either way, I'm gonna work on the scratches when I get a chance this week and just leave the door ding like it is--why bother when we'll probably be getting rid of it soon anyway. Once the truck is washed and all shiny again, it really won't stick out as bad as it does now with the dirt on the paint. That, and when the dealer appraised it, they barely looked at the outside anyway, just drove it, gave it a once over, and wrote a figure down.

About the tree, well, who knows. If I remember correctly, we told him about it before (it's right next to our property line) because it looked like it might do what it did last night some day, but he never did anything about it because he only comes down to that house every few weekends. My dad was just going to cut it down anyway, but left it because he thought the guy might notice and get mad--well, we should have just chopped the thing so it couldn't smash into our cars.
 
We still can't believe nothing happened to our military tank car, also known as a Buick Roadmaster! That tree clearly just snapped and fell full force, but it seems to have done nothing to that car (but it is white, so it would be kind of hard to see anything, anyway).

I don't know what makes my mother more mad: the fact that a tree fell and bruised her beloved Av up or the fact that, even though it smashed most of itself down on the Buick, her car is the one that got damaged (every so slightly, though)!
 
Glad to hear your Av wasn't hurt too bad. Look what happens when a tree falls on a Ford..........
 

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we had the samething happen the other day to a Honda Civic. the tree went through the rear deck window. not sure what other damage it did to the Honda, or the other car next to it.
 
Insurance or not, that sucks. Even with insurance, there's the pain in the a$$ factor involved of having to deal with it.
 
We've got trees down all over on houses and cars. Lost my power Sunday for 10 hours, I don't feel too bad as only a bunch of whirlygigs from my huge tree fell on my Av. :D
 
After cleaning up the mess from Hurricane Isabelle last fall where several of my neighbors trees fell into my yard---in VA, that portion of the tree that falls into your yard is your problem and not the neighbors, regardless of whether it does any damage or not. Worse yet, after reading my homeowners policy more closely, my piss-ant policy only paid $250 for debris removal AFTER satisfying a $500 deductible. Needless to say, I dropped them and have far better coverage (for surprisingly less money). As a previous member has stated, the damage to your AV is covered by the comprehensive part of your vehicle insurance. It's a "no harm/no foul" claim that does not affect your rate in any way.
 
Last Thursday Chicago was hit with some good winds and lightning. Friday morning on way to Six Flags I got to see all the damages caused by the storm. Leaves were everywhere, shingles too. I roll up at an intersection and I saw that a tree had fallen, not until I passed up the tree and looked in my rearview mirror that I see the tree had landed on a Chevy Tracker, split the thing down the middle. I'm glad I park AV in garage. Sorry to hear about your AV..
 
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