What to Do When a Tree Falls on Your Car

Call your auto insurance company before you move the tree or the car. A common belief is that you should grab a chainsaw and clear the driveway right away, but that can void a claim and put you in danger. The first call is to your insurer, not a saw. They will open a claim and tell you what they need. The second call is to a tree service if the tree is still on the car or blocking the driveway. Do not start cutting until you have talked to your insurer and, if the tree is under tension, until a crew has looked at it.

• Call your auto insurer first.
• Do not cut anything under tension.
• Take photos from a safe distance.
• Keep people and pets away from the car and the tree.

A tree on a car is an insurance claim first and a tree job second.

If the tree is on the car and the car is in the driveway, the tree is usually the homeowner's responsibility to remove, and the car damage is usually the auto insurer's responsibility to pay for. That split surprises people. The tree that fell is part of the property, and the car is a separate policy. Call both if you have both. If you only have auto insurance, call that insurer and ask how they want the tree handled. Some will pay to remove the tree from the car as part of the auto claim. Others will not. Ask.

Do not cut a tree that is resting on a car unless you know exactly how the weight is sitting. A tree on a car is a loaded system. The trunk may be supported by the car, or the car may be holding the trunk off the ground. Cut the wrong limb and the trunk can roll, drop, or spring sideways. That is how people get hurt and how cars get damaged a second time. The same goes for a tree leaning on a house or a fence. The load is the hazard, not just the size of the tree.

What makes this job harder than a tree on open ground? Access. A driveway is often narrow, with a car, a garage, and a house close by. A crew has to work around the vehicle without dropping anything else on it. They may need to lift limbs off with a rope and a winch rather than let them fall. They may need to cut in small pieces and lower each one. That takes longer than felling a tree in a field, and the price reflects the time and the care, not just the size of the tree.

If the tree is on the car and you can leave it alone, leave it alone until someone who does this work has looked at it. If the tree is blocking the driveway and you need to get out, say so when you call. The crew can tell you what to move and what to leave. Do not drive over limbs or pull the car out from under a leaning trunk. That can shift the load onto you.

Your auto insurance usually pays for the car damage, and your homeowner insurance usually pays to remove the tree if it is on your property. That is the short answer, but the details depend on your policies. Ask your auto insurer two questions: does the claim cover removal of the tree from the car, and do they want an adjuster to see the car before the tree is moved? Ask your homeowner insurer one question: does the policy cover tree removal when a tree hits a vehicle or blocks a driveway? Some do, some do not, and some cover removal only up to a limit. Get the answers before you hire anyone.

If the tree came from a neighbor's yard, the answer is usually the same: your auto insurance handles your car, and your homeowner policy handles the tree on your land. The neighbor's insurance may not be involved at all unless the neighbor was negligent, and that is a legal question, not a tree question. Do not count on the neighbor paying. Call your own insurers first and let them sort out who pays what.

When you call a tree service, ask how the price is set. Ask whether the quote includes hauling the wood away and cleaning up the sawdust and small limbs. Ask whether they will work with your insurer's adjuster. Ask what happens if the car is damaged more during removal. A written quote should list what is included and what is not. If the tree is on the car, the crew should look at the car and the tree before quoting. A phone quote without seeing the load is a guess.

A tree on a car is removed in pieces, not in one cut. The crew starts by assessing the load: where the trunk is supported, which limbs are under tension, and how the car is sitting. Then they cut from the top down, taking small sections and lowering them with ropes so nothing else lands on the car. If the trunk is resting on the car, they may lift it with a winch or a jack before cutting it free. The car may need to be pulled out from under the tree after the weight is off, and that is usually a tow truck job, not a tree job. The crew removes the tree, and the tow company moves the car.

What does it cost? The price depends on the size of the tree, how much of it is on the car, how close the car is to the house or garage, and how much of the wood you want hauled away. A small ornamental tree lying across a hood is a different job from a mature oak that has split and pinned a car against a garage. The number itself needs an on-site estimate. Anyone who quotes a price over the phone without seeing the load is guessing. Ask for the quote in writing after someone has looked at the tree and the car.

After the tree is off, the car may still be drivable or it may not. Do not start it if a limb is through the windshield or the roof is crushed. Call a tow. If the car is drivable and the insurer says it is fine to move, move it out of the way so the crew can work. If the tree is still on the car, leave the car where it is until the crew arrives.

Stay out of the fall zone and keep everyone else out too. A tree on a car can shift hours later, especially if the ground is wet or the trunk is cracked. Do not stand under the tree, do not open the car doors, and do not try to cover the car with a tarp. Take photos from the porch or the street, not from under the tree. If the tree is also on a power line, call the utility first and do not go near the car or the tree. Power lines are a different emergency, and the utility has to make it safe before anyone cuts wood.

If the tree is blocking the driveway and you need to leave, call the tree service and tell them. They can tell you whether it is safe to move a limb by hand or whether you should wait. Do not move a limb that is holding up the trunk. Do not drive over a limb that is under tension. If you have to wait, wait. A blocked driveway for a few hours is better than a crushed leg or a second damaged car.

When the crew arrives, they will look at the tree, the car, and the ground. They will tell you what they plan to do and what they need from you. If you have the insurer's claim number, have it ready. If the adjuster wants to see the car before the tree is moved, say so before anyone starts cutting. That one detail can save you a fight later.

Call us when the tree is on the car, on the driveway, or on the house and you need it removed. We serve Rockford, IL. The number is on this page. Tell us what the tree is on, whether anyone is hurt, and whether a power line is involved. If a line is down, call the utility first. If no one is hurt and no line is down, we can talk about the tree and the car and what the job involves. We will not quote a price over the phone for a tree on a car. We need to see the load. But we can tell you what to do right now, and what to leave alone until we get there.