A neighbor's tree fell and crushed the roof and porch of Jimmy and Susan Martin's home Saturday, November 29, 2008.

Jimmy and Susan Martin did not hear the thunderous boom at their home Saturday, November 29, 2008. The couple was spending Thanksgiving weekend at the beach.

A tree next door at 732 Meadow Street had uprooted, fallen, and crashed straight through the couple's roof and porch. This was not a surprise to the Martins, who were called by a relative.

Jimmy Martin knew the tree was dead. Dead limbs had been falling in his driveway for a long time, and there was a huge hollow cavern at the bottom of the leaning tree. He even feared for those who visited him that a branch might damage their car or even fall and hurt someone.

He felt the tree was going to fall at any moment, and he had taken steps to have the tree removed. Martin called City Inspector Ronnie Hingleton who came out and confirmed the tree was dead. Hingleton summoned the city's tree expert who said there was nothing the city could do. It was not on city property.

Jimmy Martin watches as Monkey Business Tree Service begins to remove the tree from his home.

The Martins have been living in the house since their return. A tarp covers the damaged roof. On December 3, 2008, crews from Monkey Business Tree Service and Sonny's Stump grinding began clearing the tree and debris from the property. The Martins' insurance company told them to do whatever was necessary to repair their house.

Editor's note: There are questions raised in this story. What do residents do if they are concerned about trees that may be dangerous to them that are on another person's property? Who or whose insurance company is responsible for the fallen tree? What legal recourse is there for a concerned citizen?

The fallen tree crushed the roof of the home of Jimmy and Susan Martin.

We would like to hear from our readers. Email mimim@sc.rr.com or mail your responses to Mimi Maddock, P. O. Box 5955, Columbia, SC 29205.

 

 

 

 

A tree on the front yard of 732 Meadow Street fell and crushed the roof of the home of Jimmy and Susan Martin, 728 Meadow Street in Old Shandon. The tree was hollow and rotten inside. The home of Jimmy and Susan Martin as it appears in Shandon Memories published by The Columbia Star in 1999. The home was built in 1894.