Tree damaged by car accident - Insurance problems

[Geoff]

OK, this is bottom posted, but I've thought long and hard about this issue and realised that my view depends upon circumstances. If I am coming to the thread where only one or two new messages have been added since I last logged on and where I have seen and remembered earlier messages within the last day or so when they are still reasonably fresh in my mind, I can pick up the story quite adequately with some reminder of old context posted above (with suitable snipping) and new context bottom posted. In contrast, if I am playing catch up with several week's worth of messages and multiple threads (as I am with other threads at the moment), I have a lengthy session where I know the content of the preceding message in the thread because I have read it from the beginning of the thread 30 secs earlier and it is tedious to scroll down to find the added new comments. I have come to the conclusion that I will accept any method of reading posts in this newsgroup in order to make sure that I don't miss out on the intrigue, the scandal, the conflict going on, as well as updated news about old friends, and of course ... occasionally new tips about gardening!

(;-) Geoff

decipher email: [e-mail]

[Warren]

But if you're participating in a thread in which comments are so germane that they should survive trimming for more than just the next response, just one person top posting throws everything off. They guarantee that either, A. The next post reads out of order, (Instead of 1, 2, 3, it reads

2, 1, 3) B. Additional work is needed to re-order the comments, C. All previous comments get trimmed, no matter how germane they are to the context of the thread. D. Additional posts are needed, creating more sub-threads, to comment on previous posts.

Let's say I'd like to also add some comments about what some other folks have said in this thread. (I don't.) If you had top-posted, I either have to do a lot of editing to reorder the comments, or I could only comment on your comments here, creating a sub-thread, and go back to the main thread to comment on everything that's been said.

Essentially, each post should have enough of the thread to put the response in context. But it should not include additional material that doesn't add to the context. Sometimes this means two or three (or for a very complex subject, maybe four or five, but seldom more) layers. For those layers to flow correctly, people need to follow the standard of trimming, and posting responses after what the responses is to. Sometimes this is flat-out bottom posting. Sometimes it's posting within. But it never is top posting. Top posting blows the continuity of the thread all to hell.

I would suggest that it's not a matter of circumstances. Top posting says "what I say is more important than the discussion as a whole" in any circumstance.

[S. M. Henning]

depend> People who top-post, I tend to stop reading their posts after a while,

I second that. That is 100% true.

And trim, trim, trim!!!

[Steve Wolfe]

I've always seen them handled as the cost of a replacement. That may (or may not) be the value of the car before the accident.

steve

[gregpresley]

[David Hill]

I presume that all this wrangling over top/bottom posting is to give the tree time to either recover or die. Or are you all hoping there will be a reply from the insurance company in the mean time?

[dr-solo]

I cut out the intervening comments, almost always they are covered in later comments.

sometimes I cut out the "who wrote" so the wrong person isnt credited with others comments. ascribing motives to others is pointless to any discussion. motives are unknowable.

self-centered

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List

the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make.

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List

the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make.

[dr-solo]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List

the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the endorsements or recommendations I make.

[zxcvbob]

You can go straight to the bottom with the END key. (may vary depending on your news reader)

Bob

[Ann]

zxcvbob expounded:

Or Control-End, if just the End key doesn't do it. Control-Home, too, to get to the top. That works in most any window in any program, including browsers.

[Travis]

Which key is the "END" key?

OE Quote-Fix will place the cursor at the bottom of a reply instead of the top.

[Ann]

Travis expounded:

It's under Home on the righthand side. The top row is Insert, Home and Page Up, the bottom row is Delete, End and Page Down. Most keyboards have it. Laptops have these keys in strange places.

[Alan Sung]

Here's an update from the OP.

I had another certified arborist come take a look at the tree. He said the replacement value of the tree itself is in the neighborhood of $6,000, which corresponds roughly to what the first certified horticulturist came up with. The wound is starting to scar over and the tree may live although it is slightly tipped from the car hitting it and may have some root stress. He asked me how I would like a letter written up. I told him whatever he considered a reasonable solution and would hold up in court. He said that the insurance company would probably be able to successfully argue in court that the tree does need to be completely replaced. To testify in court he charges $250/hr. He said that the $500 offer from the insurance company is probably just the driver's deductible and that they'd just be passing thru that amount to me so that they would not have any out of pocket expense. He recommended that the wound be trimmed and that the tree roots be spaded. He said that Norway Maples have a much higher healing capacity than say a Sugar Maple and that if it were a Sugar Maple, that the tree was a goner. He is in the process of writing up a letter and has not given me an exact dollar figure yet that he thinks this damage is worth since there is some equity value in a tree of this size.

-al sung Hopkinton, MA Zone 6a

[enigma]

"Vox Humana" wrote in news:FL7Xc.228133$ [e-mail]:

also, some insurance companies keep track of calls just asking about coverage & if you make too many, even if you never actually file a claim, they will drop you. if you have questions about what your insurance covers *read your policy*, don't call the agent... that could get you dropped. lee

[Dan Hartung]

Actually, the advice is don't call the 1-800 number, as that call *will* be tracked. Your local agent is most likely independent or in some way more dependent on your business so you can consider him an ally.

But yes, it sucks that they drop people even for making *inquiries*. Asshattery.

[rickjhendershot]

I just had this happen on my property and the driver destroyed my lawn, 2 bushes and four trees. The driver was killed going 72 MPH on a 40 MPH rd on a 30 MPH curve. Their insurance company paid the estimate of $8,600 to clean up the mess and repair lawn and replace the trees. I called my lawyer and he said the insurance company is responsible for the damage caused by their policy holder They may require more than one estimate and decide to pay the lowest one. In the state of Delaware if the insurance company does not pay and you take them to court and if you win the claim then they have to pay for all costs including damage to your property, court costs and the fees for your attorney....all costs incurred. It was not you fault that this incident occurred. You also have the right to sue the party that caused the damage in court for mental stress. The insurance company is only responsible for the damage to your property but the insured is responsible for the anguish they caused you and your family and you can purdue this in a court of law as per my attorney.

[Jeff Layman]

I wonder if the legal position has changed in the 15 years since the original message was posted...

[larrysbaldhaid]

Nobody can read the future. Get petcentages, not yes or no absolute predictions. Ask an attorney, $100-200 max. And ignore all the advice here including mine.

[hubops]

• 1 ! and a big 10 - 4 ..