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“A man paralyzed by a fallen palm tree has won a lawsuit filed against the City of San Diego,” NBC San Diego reports. The man may have to undergo amputations to his legs due to the accident during a major storm that occurred in January 2010.
It’s not clear how much the city will have to pay.
The case focused attention on the city’s lack of maintenance of its thousands of trees.
On the city’s side, the defense said “city workers only cut down trees if someone tells them there’s a problem and in this case, nobody did,” NBC San Diego reports. “City attorneys also told jurors when the city does trim palm trees, it’s not to keep them healthy but to simply remove berries before they fall.”
As we reported in 2010, cuts in city funding have virtually eliminated tree trimming. Palm trees are a special problem because they’re more fragile than other kinds of trees and need more maintenance to look good and be safe.
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Disclosure: Voice of San Diego members and supporters may be mentioned or have a stake in the stories we cover. For a complete list of our contributors, click here.