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    UPROOTED TREE SMASHES VAN ON 87TH STREET

    November 21, 2016 | 9:30 AM
    in NEWS
    17

    tree-van

    A tree came down hard on a van parked on 87th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues on Monday. Police blocked off the street as they dealt with it.

    As we noted, there’s a high-wind advisory in the city today. A wall protecting a construction site on Columbus also came down on Sunday night.

    tree-van2

    tree-van3

    Thanks to Sharon for the top two photos and Vedat Gashi for the bottom photo.

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    17 Comments
    Chuck D
    Chuck D
    9 years ago

    Thanks DiBlasio!

    0
    Reply
    Steph
    Steph
    9 years ago

    I noticed there is a brand new sidewalk next to the tree and the tree fell toward the street. Street trees often have their roots dug up when new sidewalks are installed, making the the trees unstable and eventually killing them. The fact that it fell towards the street indicates that this may have been the case.

    0
    Reply
    Barbara
    Barbara
    9 years ago

    He was so happy when he found a good parking spot.

    0
    Reply
    Treehugger
    Treehugger
    9 years ago

    Might be a new sidewalk? Contractor may have cut roots in laying down cement. Usually the sidewalk comes up with the tree.

    0
    Reply
    Anon
    Anon
    9 years ago
    Reply to  Treehugger

    If you are right do we need to worry about every tree on that block being blown down? It is lucky this one only hit a van.

    0
    Reply
    Woody
    Woody
    9 years ago

    I blame Bush

    0
    Reply
    Rob
    Rob
    9 years ago

    The tree was angry at ‘out-of-towners’ (Pennsylvania plates) taking up valuable parking spaces in our neighborhood. 😉

    0
    Reply
    Wendy
    Wendy
    9 years ago

    Sad to see such a beautiful tree come down. I passed it this am and it’s very big. Will take decades for something else to replace it.

    0
    Reply
    Kenneth
    Kenneth
    9 years ago

    Tree was angry that Pennsylvania voted for Trump.

    0
    Reply
    Alex
    Alex
    9 years ago

    I feel that the story is not “tree smashes van” but “beautiful street tree falls”…and also, a van was dented. These trees are the lifeblood of the streets.

    0
    Reply
    Upper West Side Wally
    Upper West Side Wally
    9 years ago
    Reply to  Alex

    I agree with you. Until those roots start pushing up the sidewalk and old ladies start taking nasty tumbles.
    You can either take out the tree (life blood!), or you cut some roots under the sidewalk and hope for the best.

    0
    Reply
    Cyrus
    Cyrus
    9 years ago
    Reply to  Alex

    Just a guess, but I bet the owner of that van will disagree with you

    0
    Reply
    the_the
    the_the
    9 years ago

    That should buff right out.

    Feel sorry for the tree though.

    0
    Reply
    Lin
    Lin
    9 years ago

    Very sad to see such a beautiful tree go down. It was lucky no one was hurt.

    0
    Reply
    ctp
    ctp
    9 years ago

    The owner of the car is a super on the block (despite the plates). When I saw the tree this morning, I was most interested in how it had no visible roots, a tree that large and old would have had a large root system and the sidewalk would have come up with it. Very odd.

    0
    Reply
    Woody
    Woody
    9 years ago
    Reply to  ctp

    So he registers his vehicle in Pennsylvania to get cheaper insurance rates. That’s not only illegal but also risky. If the insurance company investigates and finds out that he parks the car in NY regularly, they can refund his premium and deny his claim based on a fraudulent application.

    0
    Reply
    WestSide_Mimi
    WestSide_Mimi
    9 years ago

    Luckily no one was hurt.

    0
    Reply

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