Oh no, fallen tree limb at the Fort!

[Fort Fanatics]

Hello Fort friends! My family and I were camping this past weekend, and were staying in site #550, when a 13 foot tree limb fell onto our 5'ver!!! It happened around 9 pm, and my poor frightened mother was present when it happened. Since my husband left on Friday, to return to Afghanistan, I was there alone with my mom and sister. I called the front desk and they sent out an engineer fellow along with the manager. They removed the fallen branch but my 5'ver sustained some damage. And the mgr said that they were not responsible for it. He did however, give me a number to contact to make a claim. I have also made a claim with my insurance company. Has anyone else out there ever had this happen? We've been coming to the Fort for over 11 years, and never had this happen. Thank goodness that there wasn't a tent with someone inside when it fell! Thanks for any help you guys can provide!!

 

[DisCamper]

One of the fellow dis'ers had a tree fall on there 5'ver and as i remember Disney bent over backwords for them

 

[retired and happy]

When we were there for Christmas the arborists came and made us move out of our campsite so they could take down a tree they said was in danger of falling if a storm hit. We were out of our site for a couple of hours, but the Disney people help us take down and put it back up. Site was around 536-8 or so.

 

[skyp4WDW]

Last summer when we were TENT camping, a small tree limb (about 4 to 5 ft long) fell from the trees, cut through the top of our tent with a tarp over it, and stopped about a foot above my pillow. (The other end of the limb got stuck in the hole). It was early in the morming but thank God I'm an early riser and was already up. My kids were still asleep in the tent. With the force that the limb came down with, someone could have easily been killed. I called the front desk. They sent out both security and a day manager. The manager had a real "attitude". It was obvious that he was there simply to protect Disney's interests. He showed no compassion at all for the scare we'd just experienced. He did agree to have the limb removed and the hole patched since I couldn't reach it - After making a variety of rude comments like, "This is the woods. you take your chances", ETC. Not very Disney-like! The bottom line is the new budget cuts are being reflected in the quality of services at Ft Wilderness.

 

[des1954]

This happened to my in-laws back in the 90's. A branch took out their awning. They were told they needed to file a claim with their own insurance company & did not pursue it any further with Disney.

This also happened to a friend of mine who had a sizable "ding" put in to his classic GMC motorhome by a falling branch. Disney told him the same thing. Harry didn't let it rest there & kept pursuing it with Disney. Disney ended up paying for the damage. (This was in winter 2001)

I guess it depends on how hard you push.

 

[becky1960]

The liability is all about Negligence. We just got back from the 900 Loop and there was a large pine tree about 40ft tall next to our site, the entire bottom was rotted away and I wondered why it was not removed during the new landscaping which was just done. I thought if it fell it would be disneys fault and not nature..

 

[Fort Fanatics]

Thanks for the comments. I did hear from a Disney rep. yesterday, and he said basically it was an act of God, but that it didn't mean that Disney wouldn't help us out in some way. Not sure what that means, though! If I recall, when you check in, you are not given anything in writting that you are camping at your own risk. And if you own a home, and a tree on your property falls onto your neighbors home, then it's you or your insurance company's responsibilty to have the repairs paid for.

 

[phalynx]

I'll be honest here, and please don't take it the wrong way, your insurance should cover it. That is why you have insurance on it. It was an act of God. Disney could not control how that tree would react to a certain wind, etc. We should all just take it in stride and continue enjoying our vacation. Clearly, if it was a short in the electrical box that Disney installed, and burned up your camper, that is a clear issue for Disney to take care of. A branch falling is just an accident.

Its when we demand campgrounds to pay for every little thing that we start complaining about how bad the campgrounds look with no trees. Disney would just strip out all of the trees if they were asked to pay for every act of God.

I am fairly certain that we love FW because of all the trees. I believe the atmosphere they have created makes for a wonderful camping experience. I, for one, would not enjoy it if there were no trees.

So, my point being, claim with your insurance, and go enjoy that mouse.... I assure you, its more fun. Disney "should" do something nice for you just to take the edge off. I am not saying they have to, but Disney's history of kindness makes me believe they should do something nice, even if its a little thing. If it can bring a smile, it will be worth it. Your camper will get fixed by your insurance.

Just my opinion.

 

[des1954]

I can't speak about anything current regarding fallen tree limbs, but I can say that when we wintered at FtW in 2003, we noticed a rather precarious limb perched high in a pine tree above our coach on site 1701. We called the front desk about it and they had someone out that afternoon to tend to it.

While FtW maintenance and landscaping can't control sudden windstorms, the loop attendants CAN look up into the trees after a site is vacated to see if any branches need trimming. They could radio it to landscaping & have it tended to before the next guest arrives. With what they are raking in for fees, the least they could do is make sure dead branches are regularly cleared off of trees.

 

[Judique]

And if you own a home, and a tree on your property falls onto your neighbors home, then it's you or your insurance company's responsibilty to have the repairs paid for.

I'd check this statement out further if necessary. I've always heard that the opposite is true.

 

[Ju Ju Bean]

And if you own a home, and a tree on your property falls onto your neighbors home, then it's you or your insurance company's responsibilty to have the repairs paid for.

In Georgia if an obviously diseased or dead tree falls from your property onto your neighbors then YOUR insurance is responsible.

If a tree that appears to be healthy falls or a limb falls from it from your property onto your neighbors then THEIR insurance is responsible.

I would imagine that Florida is similar.

As long as the tree looks healthy then YOUR insurance will be responsible.

If the tree the limb fell from looks diseased or dead then Disney's insurance will be responsible.

 

[tim5055]

And if you own a home, and a tree on your property falls onto your neighbors home, then it's you or your insurance company's responsibilty to have the repairs paid for.

Actually, no if your tree falls on a neighbors house their homeowners insurance pays. I've had it happen both ways in two states. My tree fell on the neighbors house - their insurance paid. Neighbors tree fell on my house My insurance paid. The previous statement about the "health" of the tree is taken into consideration. In both of my situations it was a healthy tree felled due to high winds and rain soaked ground.

Now, back to the question at hand. IMHO it was an act of god and your insurance should take care of it. Anything Disney adds is icing on the cake.

 

[Fort Fanatics]

And if you own a home, and a tree on your property falls onto your neighbors home, then it's you or your insurance company's responsibilty to have the repairs paid for.

Unfortunatley, I know this from experience, thanks to many hurricanes I've been thru here in Florida. Both dead or alive trees, have fallen onto a neighbors home, and caused some damage. MY insurance company was the one who paid for the repairs, not my neighbors. And my RV insurance stated the exact same. Perhaps in other states, the insurance coverage of trees are different than here in Florida. But thankfully, my repairs were not expensive, and were under my deductible anyway. Needless to say, the large branch that did fall was a "dead" branch. It fell on a clear evening with no wind. I know that the magic of Disney cannot prevent such acts, but they can be aware of the dead tree limbs that may or may not impail a RV or tent. Once the branch was removed, we continued to enjoy our vacation as usual. Again, just glad that no one was hurt. Just shaken up a bit.

 

[big kahuna1]

In Georgia if an obviously diseased or dead tree falls from your property onto your neighbors then YOUR insurance is responsible.

If a tree that appears to be healthy falls or a limb falls from it from your property onto your neighbors then THEIR insurance is responsible.

I would imagine that Florida is similar.

As long as the tree looks healthy then YOUR insurance will be responsible.

If the tree the limb fell from looks diseased or dead then Disney's insurance will be responsible.

DING, DING, DING, DING! We have a winner. You are absolutely, positively correct. This is the way ALL insurance works. There MUST be negligence of some sort involved for an "Act of God" to be considered as a liability case such as dead tree etc...

 

[des1954]

but the real question here is...

If a tree falls in the woods, does the bear dump a load?

 

[TheGreatGonzo]

Depends on how close he is to it when it hits!
It's called an accident - First you say it and then you do it.

 

[Lil' Lisa]

but the real question here is...

If a tree falls in the woods, does the bear dump a load?