Bill (w/eoPd)
Well-known member
I received a phone call yesterday {Thursday, July 4th} at around 4:30pm from a man who, until quite recently, has been my next-door neighbor for the past 6 years. I know him as Mister and even though I would never dare ask his age, his service in the Vietnam War suggests that he is at least 70 years old but 80 seems more likely.
During the call, Mister said that a tree had just fallen from his other neighbor's yard and he was now without electricity. I arrived at Mister's house about 10 minutes later and realized that the tree had also landed on his car. Since the neighbor was not home at the time, I took as many pictures as possible and waited for someone from the electric company to arrive. After the electric company worker gave me the go-ahead, I proceeded to cut the tree with my chainsaw for the next couple of hours.
The absent neighbor arrived home as I was finishing up and was quite unreasonable about the entire situation. At first he was insistent that there was no need to contact his homeowner's insurance, twice stating that he was not responsible for "an act of God." After informing him that his tone~demeanor toward my friend was completely unacceptable {in terms more suited for someone of his intelligence level}, I explained that allowing a woodpecker to continuously peck away at an already compromised tree was "an act of negligent a^^hole" rather than "an act of God" and that the afore mentioned should retrieve~produce his insurance information posthaste.
Every attempt to contact an actual human representative of the neighbor's insurance company has been futile to this point, which is not surprising given the Independence Day holiday, but I believe that the neighbor is responsible~liable for the damage caused by his tree.
Not having any experience with a situation like this, I am interested in any feedback that you are willing to give.
During the call, Mister said that a tree had just fallen from his other neighbor's yard and he was now without electricity. I arrived at Mister's house about 10 minutes later and realized that the tree had also landed on his car. Since the neighbor was not home at the time, I took as many pictures as possible and waited for someone from the electric company to arrive. After the electric company worker gave me the go-ahead, I proceeded to cut the tree with my chainsaw for the next couple of hours.
The absent neighbor arrived home as I was finishing up and was quite unreasonable about the entire situation. At first he was insistent that there was no need to contact his homeowner's insurance, twice stating that he was not responsible for "an act of God." After informing him that his tone~demeanor toward my friend was completely unacceptable {in terms more suited for someone of his intelligence level}, I explained that allowing a woodpecker to continuously peck away at an already compromised tree was "an act of negligent a^^hole" rather than "an act of God" and that the afore mentioned should retrieve~produce his insurance information posthaste.
Every attempt to contact an actual human representative of the neighbor's insurance company has been futile to this point, which is not surprising given the Independence Day holiday, but I believe that the neighbor is responsible~liable for the damage caused by his tree.
Not having any experience with a situation like this, I am interested in any feedback that you are willing to give.
