Fallen tree destroys scofflaw's car
SEATTLE -- A man who parked illegally at a Central District apartment complex is probably regretting his decision after his car was destroyed by a fallen tree yesterday afternoon.
Jan Beruman manages the Main Street Apartments, which are owned by the Seattle Housing authority.
She said a man with Oregon license plates pulled into the parking lot several days ago and she told him the lot was for tenants only.
The man left his car in the lot, but he probably would have moved it had he known a large cottonwood tree was going to topple on Thanksgiving and destroy his vehicle.
Residents who were home at the time said they heard a loud crashing sound at around 5 p.m., and when they looked outside they realized a tree located in an adjacent property had fallen over and damaged several cars.
"It sounded like an earthquake," said resident Billy Benson. "I was in the shower at about 5 o'clock, and as soon as I got out of the shower I heard a big old boom and the whole ground shook."
Benson's car escaped damage, but resident Karen Quiroz wasn't so lucky. The tree hit her car, shattering her back window.
"It sounded like a thunderstorm," she said.
Beruman said she's complained several times about the tree leaking sap onto cars, but she was never able to find out who actually owned the property it was planted on.
She was told the city sold the property some time ago, but nobody could tell who her bought it.
Now several residents at the complex are wondering how they're going to pay for their damaged cars.
"Someone needs to come forward, because this is a community on a fixed income. And with the economy the way it is today, they've lost property that they can't afford to replace, and we're spending money that we don't have. And it's money that could be used to provide housing to these people," she said.
It's unclear what caused the tree to fall.
Jan Beruman manages the Main Street Apartments, which are owned by the Seattle Housing authority.
She said a man with Oregon license plates pulled into the parking lot several days ago and she told him the lot was for tenants only.
The man left his car in the lot, but he probably would have moved it had he known a large cottonwood tree was going to topple on Thanksgiving and destroy his vehicle.
Residents who were home at the time said they heard a loud crashing sound at around 5 p.m., and when they looked outside they realized a tree located in an adjacent property had fallen over and damaged several cars.
"It sounded like an earthquake," said resident Billy Benson. "I was in the shower at about 5 o'clock, and as soon as I got out of the shower I heard a big old boom and the whole ground shook."
Benson's car escaped damage, but resident Karen Quiroz wasn't so lucky. The tree hit her car, shattering her back window.
"It sounded like a thunderstorm," she said.
Beruman said she's complained several times about the tree leaking sap onto cars, but she was never able to find out who actually owned the property it was planted on.
She was told the city sold the property some time ago, but nobody could tell who her bought it.
Now several residents at the complex are wondering how they're going to pay for their damaged cars.
"Someone needs to come forward, because this is a community on a fixed income. And with the economy the way it is today, they've lost property that they can't afford to replace, and we're spending money that we don't have. And it's money that could be used to provide housing to these people," she said.
It's unclear what caused the tree to fall.
