So same story happened to me , like a fellow box owner I was reading about, friend told me tree branch fell , came outside to find my top roof panel dented up and the top left bow frame all dented, dealership quoted $1200 to fix and insurance is not helping. Even with $500 deductible I would have to pay they are saying inevitably it may go up 10% Funny how when you ow them money they know where to get you and when you need them they run away. I am a college student and cannot afford to fix it, any advice ? Is there a way I can file a claim against the city ? this was not weather related and this tree branch was about 5 feet weighing 60 pounds no joke. I feel terrible over the fact that just this morning I actually had my fresh new 17s put on any advice ?

 

was it a ficus???

 

...yeah, right...sue the city because a tree branch fell on your car...get a lawyer on that right away (they are cheap too).

i'd just suck it up and pay the deductible and they said your rates MAY go up which is pretty lame because tree branches are a random occurance. they have nothing to do with your area, your driving habits.

they may go up if your car seems to be accident prone, like your car has branches fall on it on a monthly basis.

so just pay your deductible and get it fixed. i always have money put away should something randome happen and i have to pay my deductible.

why do so many people want to sue others for everything? take responsibility in your life.

if a city owned street lamp randomly fell on your box, then yes, you could file a claim against the city. but a tree? that falls under acts of god really.

 

I blame the city because If I was standing outside my door where the 50 pound branch dropped , I wouldnt be typing here right now , so yea , I blame them- there responsibility to trim a tree thats like 60 feet tall tree outside of a school , thats why we pay taxes, so we dont get injured or killed from silly bs like this, Im going to talk with the insurance, there has to be a solution.

 

First, I'm sorry about your box. Argh, that sucks.

Second, unless the city was aware that the limb in question was in danger of falling--and that would likely only happen if someone had told them in advance of the fall--there's not a snowball's chance you can successfully sue and win. This is a classic "act of God" case for which nobody is responsible. You also would need to determine who actually owned the tree; was it on school property in which case, your complaint is with the school board? Was it on private property, or real estate owned by a business or landlord? The city likely isn't responsible at all for those cases.

Maybe you can find an ambulance-chaser-type lawyer who would take your case on a provisional basis (not charging you an upfront fee, but instead taking 30-50% of whatever you were awarded). If a lawyer DOES take your case but wants an upfront fee from you, he/she likely believes it's already a lost case, and all you'll get for your effort is a lawyer bill and court costs on top of what you owe in your auto insurane deductible.

Bottom line: sometimes life sucks. This is one of those times.

 

 

Insurance shouldn't go up as it is a comprehensive claim. He was not in control of the vehicle when the incident happened. What ever you do, DO NOT LET YOUR INSURANCE TRY TO PUT THIS UNDER A COLLISION CLAIM. Then you rates WILL go up.

 

Exactly right! This is just like vandalism. Out of your control. It should get fixed by the insurance with whatever comprehensive deductable you decided to set when you got the insurance , with no rate increase.

 

Hey! I made that joke in the last tree thread!!

Dude, you can't sue anyone... your insurance might give you a break for act of god, but that's about it.

 

yes you did, i think thats what makes it even more funny.

was it a ficus?
i love it.
that should always be the first question when some is talking about a tree hurting their car.

 

That plain sux. You shouldn't have an increase for something that's covered by comprehensive. What insurance company? I have State Farm and when Bambi did 3k-bux worth of damage to my box, I paid the 200-bux of deductible and that was that . . . . Talk to your agent again and ask about comprehensive . . . .

 

They are really good commercials... hell, it's even a good question to ask someone when they walk in with a black eye.

 

If it was on government property when it happened, then they should have insurance that covers it if you can prove it.

A lawyer most likely won't be able to help you from a financial point of view. To get one that is actually capable of more than a rubber band fight will cost more money that it's worth.

 

haha but if you go back to my first post in that other thread i beat you to it there too...sorry just think the commercial is funny...just waiting for someone to get keyed and i will drop the other bomb on it...as long as its not me