$1.1 Million Falling Tree Vehicle Accident Settlement, Westchester

Raphaelson & Levine secured a $1.1 million settlement for a Westchester County motorist who was injured when a tree fell onto their vehicle while driving, causing serious injuries that required prolonged medical care.

A Falling Tree Crushes a Vehicle in Westchester County

Motorists expect road hazards like potholes or other vehicles — not a tree crashing onto the roof of their car. Our client was driving along a Westchester County road when a large tree on the right side of the roadway fell directly onto the vehicle. The force of the impact crushed portions of the car and left our client trapped, requiring emergency extraction and transport to the hospital.

Falling tree cases are not simple motor vehicle accident claims. They require identifying who owned and was responsible for maintaining the tree, whether that party knew or should have known the tree was hazardous, and whether they failed to act.

Proving Negligent Tree Maintenance in Westchester

Our attorneys retained an arborist who inspected the stump and determined that the tree had been visibly decayed for an extended period. The trunk showed signs of internal rot and fungal growth that would have been apparent during a routine inspection. The property owner adjacent to the roadway had a duty to inspect and maintain trees that could fall onto a public road — and had failed to do so.

Municipal records confirmed that no tree inspection had been conducted along this stretch of road in the years preceding the incident. Our team used this evidence to establish that the hazard was foreseeable and preventable.

$1.1 Million Settlement for a Westchester Falling Tree Accident

The $1.1 million settlement compensates our client for emergency medical treatment, surgical intervention, rehabilitation, lost income, and the lasting physical consequences of being struck by a falling tree while simply driving down the road.

"A tree doesn't just fall without warning. This one had been rotting from the inside for a long time, and the property owner never bothered to have it inspected. Our client was driving normally on a public road and had no way to avoid what happened. The negligence here was the failure to maintain a tree everyone could see."

— Steven Gershowitz, Attorney at Raphaelson & Levine

If you've been injured by a falling tree, collapsing branch, or any roadway obstruction in Westchester County or the greater New York area, our vehicle accident attorneys have experience handling complex liability cases involving property owner negligence, and are ready to review your claim. Contact us today for a free consultation.