‘Humungous branch’ falling no surprise as tree unsafe: resident
A LARGE branch that fell in Strathmore Cres early yesterday was bound to happen, says a resident who claims he complained to the Dunedin City Council months ago.
Strathmore Cres resident Jay McPhee said he complained to the council in March about the tree and was worried about the significant damage it could cause if it fell.
‘‘You just look at it and if it fell over it would take out all the power lines and everything else.
‘‘Heaven only knows. If someone was walking past when it fell, it would have killed them.’’
The tree is on a councilowned verge.
The fact the ‘‘humungous branch’’ fell was not surprising, Mr McPhee said.
‘‘The tree looks unsafe from all aspects,’’ he said.
Mr McPhee said something needed to be done about the tree and he was disappointed by the council’s response to his complaint earlier in the year.
He said an arborist sent to assess the tree deemed it safe.
However, Mr McPhee did not agree with the assessment.
A car underneath the tree at the time of the fall about 2am was also damaged by the fallen branch.
The branch blocked the street, he said.
Council parks and recreation operations manager Jendi Paterson said staff were checking records to see what requests and recommendations were made regarding the tree.
‘‘The staff member who may be able to shed light on that is away until next week.’’
Ms Paterson said an assessment would be carried out next week to look at the state of the wood in the tree, the ground conditions and any other factors that might have contributed to it falling.
‘‘Any question of liability [for damage] could only be considered once all the information is gathered.’’
❛ Heaven only knows. If someone was walking
past when it fell, it would have killed them