WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Every time Lisa Kennedy walks out of her house, she sees the giant tree in her front yard. The massive oak towers over the property and Kennedy was getting concerned it could fall.
“It’s a big boy and it could do much damage,” Kennedy said.
In late 2022, Kennedy hired Chosen 1 Home Repair to cut down the tree. The crew tied off the tree cleared the area and had one of the men use a chainsaw to cut it down. A couple of the other guys pulled on the rope to ensure the tree fell in the proper direction - away from the house.
Kennedy captured the tree cutting on camera and could be heard yelling timber when the giant tree fell to the ground. The job seemed to go as planned with the tree coming down in a safe spot cleared in the front yard.
Kennedy had also asked if the crew could take down a smaller, but still large, pine tree in the backyard by the house. The pine was apparently dead, and Kennedy was concerned a portion, or all of it, could fall on the home.
The crew agreed to cut the tree down, and much like the tree in the front yard tied part of the tree and then started to cut it. When the tree began to fall, the crew quickly realized a big chunk of it was falling toward the house and they couldn’t stop it.
“We had it tied off (and were pulling it away) from the house, but one of the dead parts fell, (it) broke off. It was an accident,” owner Sean Snipes said.
A big chunk of the tree crashed on top of the roof while the rest of it fell to the ground.
“When I saw it falling, it looked like it would roll off, so I took off running, it scared me,” Kennedy said. “You could see the house go, 'WOMP',” Kennedy said.
The tree punctured the roof in at least three spots and damaged one of the gutters. The more significant concern for Kennedy was the integrity of the frame and the support beams.
Kennedy said she asked who the company was insured with, only to learn they did not have insurance. Snipes told News 2 later that his insurance had lapsed.
The crew went up on the roof to survey the damage and determine what needed to be done. The owner told News 2 that he told Kennedy he could fix the damage and would go get the materials to fix the roof. Snipes said he went to a hardware store and purchased everything needed, including a tarp to keep the area dry.
He tells News 2 that upon returning to fix the home, Kennedy decided to contact her insurance company to make sure the house was structurally sound before he did any repairs.
Kennedy reached out to a restoration and remediation company to start the process of fixing the home. She told News 2 she tried to call Chosen 1 Home Repairs several times after the accident but did not hear back.
“He didn't offer no solution or no apology,” Kennedy said.
At this point, Kennedy was stuck handling the repairs through her insurance, which included paying for a deductible.
Kennedy said the repairs were much more significant than originally thought and that the repairs totaled upwards of $30,000.
The good news is that most of that was covered by her insurance company. The bad news is that she had to file the claim because the company she hired did not have insurance. The claim will also most likely affect her rates in the future.
“Hindsight is 20/20. It (the tree) fell on my house,” Kennedy said.
The repairs are about done, and Kennedy has unfortunately learned an expensive lesson. It is important to verify a contractor’s qualifications and make sure they have insurance coverage in case of an accident.
Kennedy could go to small claims court if she chooses to try and recoup the money she spent covering her deductible.