Wedding Woes

WWWWD?

So we have this huge tree down in our backyard, but it actually fell into our neighbor's yard.  And there is a huge branch off of their tree that also fell onto our fence, but that branch maybe only fell after our tree fell on it. 

I've always thought that legally, clean-up was the responsibility of the property owner whose property it fell on, but maybe that doesn't apply here if there isn't damage to my neibhor's property.  In this case, both trees are laying across the property line, so I don't see how we can only clean-up to the point of our property line and leave the rest.  The mess is probably 80% in her yard.  But our neighbor doesn't actually live in her house.  She has alzheimers and lives in assisted living in another state near her daughter.   I called the daughter to let her know about the damage.  She was like "Oh my, what a mess.  Good luck with that!"

The guy who kind of watches their house came by and was also "What a mess!  Here are some tree people that I reccomend.  Good luck!"

Insurance doesn't help with fallen trees unless they fall on something, but it fell on our fence so if I understood our insurance agent, we will get $500 for tree clean-up.  Our first quote was $1300.  So do I ask the neighbor for a few hundred bucks?  Or just pay up because she is old and sick?

The daughter asked for pictures, so I e-mailed a bunch to her yesterday with a note saying that we were waiting to hear from insurance and that we would "keep them updated."  I didn't want to mention liability just yet.
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I just a friendly gal looking for options.

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Re: WWWWD?

  • I was always under the impression it was wherever the tree originated from that was the cause and the burden fell on that person.  :-/  (well not literally)
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  • Hmmm.  I could be wrong, but I always thought that legally it was the responsibility of the owner of the cause of damage.
  • Ugh.   I'm sorry, I wouldn't know what to do either.
    And this is yet another reason that I'm glad I'm not an homeowner.  I hate dealing with this kind of thing.
  • Flo - this also makes me less sad about being a renter. I would call my insurance agent and ask him/her, since, presumably, they know more about this than me.
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  • I'm waiting on my insurance agent to make it here.  They are backlogged and since I don't have water pouring into my house I'm on the bottom of the list. 

    So if liability follows the owner of the tree, what about their branch that also fell on our fence?  And when I say branch, I mean a log with a diamater of at least 24".

    image

    I just a friendly gal looking for options.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • In theory both your home owners companies should be responsible and it is up to them to figure out who needs to pay for what.

    The adjuster sent out to look at everything, take pictures, give a quote should be able to tell you more as well. In my experience both insurance companies would send an adjuster and try and agree on a quote. An approved construction company would be called and would give their own quote and between the three of them come to an agreement. You pay your deductible, they pay theirs, the insurance companies cover the rest based on whatever it is they agreed on.
    "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." ~C.S. Lewis
  • ::likes mizb's answer::
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  • min - our water heater broke on Friday (of course on a weekend when we had company coming to stay) and it was so nice to call our landlord and tell them to deal with it.  We had hot water again by Friday night.
  • GBCKGBCK member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    also, were both trees healthy?
    Because if they weren't, things divide up differently.

    But, yeah, i always thought the owner of the tree was responsible.
    (but I"m biased in ahving never ever called someone to clean up a tree for me...we always just put on workclothes and grab a chain saw and have at.  But I'm aware this isn't normal or necessarily good :P)
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_wwwwd-50?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special Topic Wedding BoardsForum:47Discussion:b7dfced8-4ff8-4787-a578-700d295c74f7Post:e935dfaf-b9ce-492f-83c1-11a69ac99cdd">Re: WWWWD?</a>:
    [QUOTE]we always just put on workclothes and grab a chain saw and have at. 
    Posted by GBCK[/QUOTE]

    I was going to suggest this as well.  I know DH could cut up the tree, but then you have to find someone to take the wood.  Unless you have a fireplace.  Then it's just a matter of finding somewhere to store it until the end of the year.
  • GBCKGBCK member
    Knottie Warrior 5000 Comments 500 Love Its Name Dropper
    we just ask around and find someone who heats w/ wood say, "hey, do you want a tree?  come get it" and they do.
    But that's living here.
  • If we clean it up ourselves it will take a year.  And because most of the mess is in our neighbor's yard, we don't have a year.  If we give it to someone for firewood, they will take the good parts and leave a giant stump and a mess. 

    Did you guys see my pictures?  This was a huge tree.
    image

    I just a friendly gal looking for options.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_wedding-woes_wwwwd-50?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:47Discussion:b7dfced8-4ff8-4787-a578-700d295c74f7Post:40bf4c40-42f7-4627-9ff7-e331a680e1d8">Re: WWWWD?</a>:
    [QUOTE]we just ask around and find someone who heats w/ wood say, "hey, do you want a tree?  come get it" and they do. But that's living here.
    Posted by GBCK[/QUOTE]

    This same thing over here.  A Metro boom truck comes by about 3-4 times a year to pick up large garden waste (limbs of trees, hacked bushes and such).  The wood trolls will scavenge the neighborhood's piles of boom truck trash and abscond with any large limbs or trunks they can carry or load on their truck.

    Sometimes the tree cutter tips them off.
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  • Stumps are easy to get rid of.  Just ask around for someone who grinds stumps...your tree guys should know.  I think we paid....it's something weird like $1/square inch, but even our humongous 50+ year pine tree was like $100 and he did it all the way down to the ground.  We happened to use that for mulch, but we paid someone to haul the oak grindings away.

    You own the tree, the damage it causes is your problem.  Just like you own your car and if you hit someone, intentionally or not, it's your problem and your insurance's problem.
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