QuestionI have 5 acres, a stolen car was dumped off a cliff onto the back part of my property which is a forest and isn't near a road. The cars owner was found and the insurance company told me they would pay reasonable damages for removing the car. It was pulled 600 feet on it's roof to the nearest street. The only other option was to take it 150 vertical feet back up the cliff. Trees, scrubs and other native plants were destroyed and 600 feet of scraped ground, car parts, glass, oil and garbage left behind. This area is the edge of a wetland and I need to reseed, plant and get the garbage out. The insurance company said they would give me $200.00 to get the garbage out. I think they should pay for seed, replacement trees, scrubs and ground cover, not big plants but a start and labor costs. It's 600 feet out there and 200 foot up hill, not easy. The damage caused by removing it should be paid by the insurance co. The owner had theft insurance.
Answeryes most definitely talk to the vehicles insurance company about "environmental restoration" of the property...
It sounds like they are trying to get out of paying anything against your land claim... Now I am not a lawyer, but I bet that anyone of them you talk to would agree on this issue...
Your property suffered "PROPERTY DAMAGE" either by the tow company doing it the way they did or the actual recovery of the vehicle was negligent on their part. But they did do "SOME OF THE DAMAGE" to the property during the recovery. The actual damage from the vehicle coming off the cliff and landing will cause damage also, so it might be a shared blame...
Go after the insurance company of the vehicle and see what they are going to do, and if they do not seem to be changing their stance from the $200 amount you might go talk to a lawyer and see what they say to do from that point...
