Today I collided with neighbours tree and and tree broke. It is a fairly big palm tree and its trunk broke in half. The damage to my car is minimal but it seems like that my neighbours will require me to pay for the tree. I don't know how much they will charge us.. but I have a very bad feeling (10k +)
So I was wondering if my comprehensive car insurance will be able to cover for the tree as well my car.
Please let me know if you guys experienced similar cases.
Ask @Scorpex to draft you a letter explaining your bad driving
These trees are pests in a garden lol, so annoying to maintain with all the falling palms. To me the neighbour is trolling. Will try rip you off and will just leave the tree as it is currently.
That's the neighbour's prerogative though. Say I crash into your car and cause $2k worth of damage - so long as it's actually $2k worth of damage, I still have to pay you whether or not you decide to spend that money on actual repairs.
So how do you reasonably decide the value of a tree (something that could grow back over time or be replaced by a smaller one)?! Your example with the car doesn't match this scenario at all.
You don't consider that it could grow back or be replaced by a small one. There are companies which sell, for fairly exorbitant prices, full mature trees. You take that cost, add the cost of planting and maintaining the tree until it's established.
Hopefully you have a decent relationship with the neighbours. Get it replaced and buy them chocolates as way of apology. It won't be $10k+ so don't stress and enjoy the tree puns.
Calling bs on this post.
A palm tree would not snap in half from a collision that had minimal damage to car and prob the speed u were going too wouldn't have the momentum to cause this.
Depends on the Palm. Something like a Coco Palm can be pretty thin the bottom, especially if it's not too tall.
http://www.thepalmmarket.com/palm-species-available
Although OP calling it a 'pretty big palm tree' implies something that actually looks like a big tree - which I would have thought would cause the car to wrap around it rather than split if hit hard enough.
How fast were you reversing while it's slippery and wet? I ask because I don't see how I could hit and break a palm tree into two at the speeds that people normally reverse, especially if the conditions are slippery.
Be honest - how many beers did you have before you jumped into the car? lol
I would rip the trunk out of the ground plant a new one. problem solved
I mean, depending on how high up the trunk it snapped…… dig the trunk up and plant the remaining trunk into the ground. "Whotchu mean you think the palm tree looks shorter? Don't be silly, trees don't get shorter! Ha ha ha…"
is it your neighbours tree for sure or is it on the council owned land between the road and the property boundary?
Either the palm tree is very small or you own a heavy vehicle…no way palm tree would suffer that much damage with minimal damage to your car.
Must be a troll post.
Your neighbour here !
As long as you didn't hit any pedestreeans
In-tree-guing
Wow unbe-leaf-able! I hope he's oak-kay
Since when is a palm tree that can be knocked over with a car (with minimal damage to the car) worth anything near $10k??
Neighbour has started their own thread on this incident. What Do You Use for Self-Defence in Your Own House?
You will be covered for this.
Pictures or it didn't happen.
Did you use duct tape?
——
On a totally unrelated note, Insurance covers damages to third party property (usually).
This might be a joke post right? Just want to see people commenting on it.
wait, a tree will cost $10k to replace? I will start selling trees
There are plenty of people selling palm tree's online (gumtree), but may work out to be a more affordable option is insurance doesn't come through.
I'd have thought the tree would be more durable than that.
The damage to my car is minimal
What do you drive, a humm vee? You destroyed a 'fairly big' palm tree, whilst taking minimal damage yourself. This I'd like to see. Got any pics?
Was this tree planted on their nature strip? I don't know how you do something like this. Would you not be reversing into a drive way?
I believe OP's question has been answered. Thread closed.
You think someone wood have told the neighbour not to mess with an old wood when he's on leaf.
Good thing this bloke lawyer up and stick it up his ar*e