CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - A tree that stood for nearly 50 years has fallen over and caused significant property damage for a family in Coral Gables.
Cleanup was underway on Wednesday afternoon after inclement weather caused the timber to collapse along the 1300 block of Campo Sano Avenue, causing damage on the way down.
The tree, located just across the street from the University of Miami, fell onto the road while limbs and bark crashed onto a home, causing damage to the family’s car. Homeowner Zina Salman said it is a total loss.
Salman said it sounded like a bomb went off when the tree toppled over. Although much of her property was damaged, she is thankful that her family was uninjured.
“I was shaken. It felt like an explosion. We were sleeping, about 4:30 a.m., it was loud, pretty scary. We have two kids. They woke up and were scared,” said Salman.
The tree reportedly fell above the master bedroom of the home.
“The roof is solid, it seems it’s solid, otherwise I could’ve probably been dead now without knowing,” said Salman. “It’s amazing that we take life for granted.”
Crews were seen Wednesday cleaning up debris and chopping the tree down.
The family is now dealing with next steps in their insurance policy.
According to the city, the tree was part of a piece of land that is owned by Coral Gables.
It remains unclear whether the family will get compensated for the costs of the damages.
As for the bad weather, Coral Gables saw over an inch and a half of rain on Wednesday.
A street flood advisory that was impacting Coral Gables to Pinecrest has expired as the rain has moved offshore.
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