RICHMOND, Va. -- Bryan Nuckles had just moved into his home in Richmond's Highland Park neighborhood when the city tree located right in front of his property gave him an unpleasant welcome.
He usually did not park under the tree, because neighbors familiar with it told him not to.
“We had been warned by three or four people on this street that it was a hazard," Nuckles said.
But one day in June, he was briefly unloading groceries and thought it would be fine for the time being.
It wasn't. A huge, heavy branch broke off and came down.
“And it fell directly on our car, crushed the frame, went through the dash and the headboard of our car into the aircon system, broke the engine mount, and totaled the vehicle," Nuckles said.
However, Nuckles felt the incident could've been avoided had the tree been better maintained.
“You could pan straight up and see where all of the live branches are coming out," Nuckles told CBS 6, pointing to multiple branches that he said appeared lifeless. "And then these are dying over here. These are dying over here, and this in the middle, about two-thirds of the way up, is just dead.”
While Nuckles acknowledged he's certainly no arborist, he did have a tree expert examine the tree.
“He recommended that it be cut, at least the parts that are obviously dead, immediately. And we informed him that we didn't own that tree, that it's on city property. And he said, 'That's a shame,'" Nuckles recalled.
Nuckles said he called the City of Richmond to alert someone of the damage the tree had caused and to request an assessment by a city arborist.
“Richmond City also doesn't make it easy. We had to spend an hour on the phone with various groups. We finally got to the arborists who gave us a number and a year-long wait," Nuckles said.
“Why did they say it would take a year?” reporter Tyler Layne asked.
“They said it was a matter of the seasons, a matter of the amount of workload they have," Nuckles said.
Insurance covered about half the costs to replace the vehicle, but Nuckles said during his conversation with the city, they did not take any responsibility for the damage.
"But it would never have happened if they were doing their due diligence on basic upkeep of their property," Nuckles said.
If these concerns sound familiar, it's because Richmond residents in various parts of the city have also voiced frustrations about a perceived lack of tree maintenance.
“My biggest concern is the city taking care of their property just like I have to take care of my property," Southside resident Pamela Briggs said after city trees fell into her yard last year.
“It's like emotional. We love these trees. So tending to them, and caring for them would be really, I think, the best thing that we could do," East End resident Kelly Barnes said after a toppled dead tree crushed a city worker during storm cleanup last year.
According to Richmond's Urban Forestry Division, the city will remove a tree if it is dead, diseased, or defective and compromises safety, as determined by an arborist or contractor.
Richmond currently has three certified arborists to conduct such assessments.
City spokesperson Margaret Ekam said an assessment of the tree in front of Nuckles' home was completed within a week of his service request.
The city updated Nuckles' request with a code indicating a contract removal.
However, Nuckles said he does not know when any work is scheduled to begin. He hopes it won't take a year.
“I love that we have these heritage trees here, except when they're a danger," Nuckles said. "The next thing that'll happen is that this is going to hit my house."
Ekam said wait times will differ based upon a prioritization of public safety. Anyone with tree concerns is encouraged to submit a service request through 311, she said.
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