MIAMI – A tree fell on top of a van Thursday in Miami’s Shenandoah neighborhood, scaring neighbors and upsetting the van’s owner, who says the city is to blame.
A 311 call came in, and crews were dispatched to Southwest 13th Street, near 6th Avenue.
“Around 10:45 am, we just hear a crash and we see that this huge 60-year-old tree fell on top of a neighbor’s van,” resident Brett Butz said.
The owner of that van now has a bone to pick with the city.
“I had reported this to the city so many times. I reported for years,” Antonio Rodriguez said.
He said he had been calling the city for three years to let them know that the tree was vulnerable — ridden with termites — but, according to him, nothing was ever done to fix the issue.
“Now I don’t have a van, I don’t have a tree because the city let it happen,” Antonio Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez went on to say he was shocked and frustrated. The city is now looking into what the root cause was in all of this.
“We don’t know what caused it, but most importantly, nobody was hurt,” city spokesperson Kenia Fallat told Local 10 News.
City officials said they will be looking into neighbors’ past 311 calls, as residents express concerns about the stability of other trees.