Hamilton county to pay $100K for 4 vehicles' tree limb damage

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. (AP) — A central Indiana county's commissioners will pay out $100,000 to the owners of four vehicles after a tree limb fell on the courthouse square last month, crushing their vehicles.

The 80-foot-tall red oak split during a storm on Oct. 21, causing a large limb to crash atop a row of cars parked outside the Hamilton County courthouse in Noblesville, The Indianapolis Star reported.

A pickup truck was totaled, and three cars were badly damaged. No cars were occupied, and no one was injured when the branch weighing an estimated several thousand pounds fell.

Commissioner Christine Altman said that while the county likely was not legally liable for the accident, they would pay for repairs.

“We feel strongly that we should assume responsibility for the damage caused to the vehicles,” Altman said. “We do not want to place additional burden on the those affected and want to get them back ‘on the road’ as quickly as possible.”

County Commissioner Mark Heirbandt said the $100,00 will be paid from the county’s insurance trust fund.

An arborist who inspected the tree for the county three years ago found no signs of disease, but a cable wrapped around its trunk in 2017 had weakened the tree.

An inspection of the tree after it split showed that it was decaying, and it has since been taken down. County officials plan to inspect other trees for signs of disease or weakening.