Overgrown tree rips out neighbors power

[gustbe]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Minnesota

I have a couple large trees on my property line. They are healthy but have several large branches. We had a windstorm 3 day's back and a branch fell on my neighbors power line and ripped the lines from her house.

The power company just came and just came and disconnected her power. My neighbor isn't home but the guy who did the work said she needs to hire a licensed electrician to fix her power. I surveyed the damage and it looks like a branch also might have put a small hole in the roof of her garage.

Am I liable for the damages and if so will my homeowners insurance cover them? If I'm not liable for the damages, will her home owners coverage cover her? I feel bad that my trees damaged her house, and if I'm not liable I'd like to at least help pay the deductible. If she doesn't have home owners insurance and my insurance doesn't cover it I don't know that I can afford ALL of the repairs.

 

[FlyingRon]

If the trees were alive and in good shape, you are not responsible. If you had liability, yes your homeowner's insurance would generally cover it.

 

[justalayman]

and if she has homeowners insurance, it will likely cover at least some, if not all, of her expenses (depending on her policy specifics).

My neighbor isn't home but the guy who did the work said she needs to hire a licensed electrician to fix her power.

Neighbor isn't home right now or more like on vacation or such? While this is not addressing the legal aspects, it's something a neighborly person would be concerned with.

Being in Minnesota, I suspect freezing temps are there, or soon to be. If that house is not winterized, there is a very real possibility of things freezing. Depending on the temps, it may or may not present a real risk of damage. Being the nice neighbor you appear to be, I would think you would take some efforts to locate the neighbor so as to avoid any collateral damages due to the power outage.

 

[Zigner]

I would be curious, though, as to whether are not there are any local ordinances/regulations relating to clearance of branches from power lines. If there ARE such ordinances/regulations, it *might* shift the liability to the OP.

ETA: Well, in so far as the damages to the electrical system...

 

[Kiawah]

If she's not home, expect freezer and refrigerator losses.

Also with a hole in roof, if rains expect interior insulation and sheetrock damage, at a minimum.

 

[FarmerJ]

Gust since no one asked , I am curious , when was the last time the elect co was out to trim tree branches in your nieghborhood ? ( East central energy where I live has been out twice in the last ten years to trim in my area including tree branches that come near the first pole into my driveway where the transformer is ) Was the drop that fed the nieghbors home a mid line drop or a straight run where it did not have to cross over from neighbors lot to yours to connect to the pole ? or was it where your trees branches extended over the lot line into air space over the nieghbors yard ? If it was your trees branches over the nieghbors lot space its fair to think that it was a act of nature and avoidable if the nieghbor had called the electric company to ask them if they could take a look and trim if needed. ( I saw alot of branches and whole trees were snapped in the morning on the way home from work and we didnt get it as bad as many other areas to the south did) Very last by now Ill guess the neighbor has been re connected. If your in a old area where lines cross over other peoples lots to get to the nearest pole did the elect co change that homes line to a mid line drop so it stayed over that nieghbors lot ? ( if not then atleast ask your city if they have a ordinance addressing how replaced lines are to be run , city of MPLS addressed that long ago and when ever lines are replaced from pole to a next door customer they no longer cross over other lots air space)