Orlando neighbors demand removal of rotting tree after it crushes car
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Residents of an Orlando neighborhood are calling for action after a large tree fell on a man’s car Friday afternoon, totaling the vehicle and leaving neighbors worried about further damage.
Luis Camacho told WESH 2 he was home when he heard the tree fall on his car around 3:30 Friday afternoon outside his home on Oregon Street.
“All of a sudden, we heard a big boom,” Camacho said.
Camacho said he immediately thought about what could have happened if he had arrived home moments earlier.
“I would be literally coming out of my car right here,” he said. “I would be dead by now if this thing fell when I got home. Thank God it didn’t happen.”
Neighbors told WESH 2 that the tree had been rotting for some time. They said it had termites and was beginning to split down the center.
Bronwyn Cornett, his neighbor, said someone in the neighborhood filed a complaint with the city of Orlando about two weeks before the tree fell but received no help.
“I was mortified because I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this could be a family, or it could be my neighbor,’” Cornett said.
Residents said the damaged tree remained in place through the weekend, leaving the surrounding area blocked off. Camacho said because of that, he has not been able to work since.
“All weekend, they’ve still done nothing and left our whole entire area vulnerable to disaster possibly happening,” Cornett said.
Camacho said he fears Friday’s incident may only be the beginning if the city does not remove or trim the tree.
“This tree needs to be gone by now, or at least trimmed, because it’s going to collapse at any time,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”
Cornett said she hopes officials respond before someone is seriously injured.
“I hope that they really, really come out and pay attention to this before it’s a human life at stake next,” she said.
WESH 2 contacted the city of Orlando. A city representative said officials would review the request when the office reopens Monday.