The cable company put down new fiberoptic lines in my backyard about 3 months ago. They dug a series of holes about 6' long and 6' deep to do this. I got a lot of rain and wind when Ernesto passed over my house in Richmond, VA last week and a 50'-60' tree fell down and was hanging over my house, supported by another big tree that it hit. One of the holes the cable company dug was about 10' from the base of the tree that fell and it fell directly over where the hole was. Is there any chance they may have cut the roots of the tree causing it to fall when they laid the fiber optic line? The tree did not hit but it was in danger of falling on (supported by another tree) so I had to call in a crane to remove it. It cost $5,600 and insurance doesn't want to pay becuase it didn't actually hit my house (it would have hit it eventually if I had left it there).
Does anyone know if cutting a 6' long section of roots this far away could cause the tree to fall? It was a big one!
2006-09-06 09:10:55 · 7 answers · asked by DBADiver 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
The tree was not rotten, I looked a cross section of the trunk. It was so expensive because there were two 50-60' tall trees and both positioned directly over my house, about 5' from hitting it. They had to bring in a crane to lift them off the house which was a couple thousand by itself. W/o the crane they would have probably caused more damage.
Insurance only pays for the tree removal if they hit my house, not if they are about to hit it. It's crazy.
2006-09-06 09:25:14 · update #1
This was the big thick orange fiber-optic cable they were laying, not the small black ones they run to your house. I saw them dig the holes, there were much more than 1' deep.
2006-09-06 09:52:18 · update #2
Ten feet from a large tree? Or course they may have injured the roots. Tree root systems run out twice as far as the drip line of the canopy. Diggin a 6 foot deep hole within the canopy would almost certainly damage the root system.
Whether you can get anyone to pony up is another matter, but it's deifnitely worth looking into.
2006-09-06 09:53:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you think this cable company was somehow doing something illegal? They almost certainly were digging within a public right-of-way or a utility easement, and so did nothing negligent. It is probably your tree that had no "right" to have its roots there. Yeah, I know that sounds silly, but if your neighbor's plant is intruding onto your property, generally you have the right to cut it back to the property line (including the roots).
Of course, you should go ahead and notify them of your loss and ask for a payment. Maybe they were actually not doing what they should (or vice-versa). Maybe it you are insistent enough they will make some kind of settlement, just so you will go away. Can't hurt to try. Good Luck
2006-09-06 12:18:52 · answer #2 · answered by veritas 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The CATV people only put the cable about a foot into the ground so in all likelihood the answer to CATV liability is no.
I just had a dead tree removed from my back yard, a linden that was about 50' tall. The contractor only charged $1200. My guess is the contractor because of the amount of work will pick and choose his jobs, he is a&s phucking you on price without the pleasure of a kiss. That is the story of of weather related damaged. I was hoping the damn Linden would have fell into my kitchen so I could collect insurance and remodel as well. But it didn't happen that way.. :(
2006-09-06 09:34:55 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would think there could be a possibility with the digging that the integrity of the ground was compromised, weakened the root system and the trell fell over. Also, though, check the interior of the tree, we just cut one down, looked healthy but the core of the trunk was totally rotten.
2006-09-06 09:19:12 · answer #4 · answered by MiMi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i definitely think that they could be at fault. i remember a couple of years back when we had a white oak in our front yard. my mother decided she wanted a flower garden around the tree. all was good until a wild wind storm came and knocked it down. everyone was amazed until we realized that when my mother was planting her flowers she dug up roots from the tree. they were major roots but they were crucial in the health of the tree. i would call the cable company and explain to them. don't let them in on the fact that you don't know if they are to blame. just simply let them know that their actions had reactions. and they might work something out with you such as pay for half if not all of your clean up bill. good luck!
2006-09-06 09:28:25 · answer #5 · answered by princesseko1125 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
$5600??? That's just insane. I don't think you'll get anywhere with the cable company.
2006-09-06 09:16:46 · answer #6 · answered by NiceGuy27 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I doubt it. You should have insurance, that should cover it for you.
2006-09-06 09:13:16 · answer #7 · answered by Blunt Honesty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋