Stupid stupid plows

[ChadTower]

I think the guy plowing our neighborhood friday night was trashed.  He took out a bunch of mailboxes, dug up some front yard pieces... at our house, he drove through our 5' front bushes, dug them up entirely along with about 6" of soil, and stopped just shy of hitting the 4 story maple tree behind them.  This is the worst example but we've had similar damage every freakin winter from these plow guys.  This guy drove straight through our bushes perpendicular to the road.   

Now we have a giant gap in the front bushes for no apparent reason.

[horseboy]

Are you going to do anything about it? Is there any legal action you can take here?

[ChadTower]

Not really, since I can't prove what truck did it, and our town uses all contractors.  Plus many people hire guys with plows for side work that has nothing to do with the town.  The monetary damage isn't much, really, it's the principle.  I will probably have to replace the damaged bushes, which is in the middle of a row of mature plants, and it will be hard to match the exact species as well as waiting for new ones to integrate themselves fully.  That last part could take a couple years at least.

[shardian]

You can sue the town.

[ChadTower]

For what?  The price of a few plants?  The monetary damage is almost negligible and without being able to prove it was a town contracted plow, I don't have any standing anyway.

[Spaz Monkey]

Ditto.  The city paid them to do a job, if they screw it up you sue the city.  Think if you paid to have your home built and the contractor screwed up, you'd want the contractors head on a platter (after he fixed the house).

[ChadTower]

I'll say it one more time:  I cannot prove it was a city contracted plow and not a privately contracted plow.  A lot of people around here hire guys to do their driveways on the side.

[leapinlew]

For what?  The price of a few plants?  The monetary damage is almost negligible and without being able to prove it was a town contracted plow, I don't have any standing anyway.

Are you a lawyer/private detective now?

The material/labor for ALL the damage probably adds up to a chunk of change. It can't hurt to contact the city.

[ChadTower]

I did.  I spoke with the head of the Highway Dept and that was our conclusion... that it wasn't worth filing a claim because the insurer was just going to say that we had no proof it was one of their trucks.  I've also talked to two different plow drivers who said the same thing, that without knowing for sure who did it, there really isn't anything that can be done other than call it to the highway dept's attention so that they can address it with their drivers as part of the quality assessment.

Now, had they damaged the tree, I'd be standing in the highway dept main office right now and not leaving until claims were filed and processed. 

[leapinlew]

I cannot prove it was a city contracted plow and not a privately contracted plow.

Look for the truck with all the bushes stuck to it's plow.

[ChadTower]

Heh.  I figure the damage is probably less than $200 in cost of plants and materials.  It will just take a long time for the gap in the bushes to go away and that is damn annoying.

[vader]

Heh.  I figure the damage is probably less than $200 in cost of plants and materials.  It will just take a long time for the gap in the bushes to go away and that is damn annoying.

I say screw it,  throw some tomato seeds in there and call it some deco kind of thing.  Take the 200 bucks you saved and apply it to some frivolous spending ... that could probably get you 4 months worth of cable tv.

[ChadTower]

Eh, the bushes are there for a reason, I like having thick bushes on most of the borders of my property.  The bushes along the long side are 10-11' high.

[patrickl]

That's always so annoying. You feel like some complaining after something nasty has happened and then people start giving advice you don't really need.

[TheOtherBob]

Bummer.... our city will replace mailboxes & sod (no shrubs tho) if their plows (not snow weight) take something out.

[leapinlew]

Heh.  I figure the damage is probably less than $200 in cost of plants and materials.  It will just take a long time for the gap in the bushes to go away and that is damn annoying.

How is a 11' shrub worth only $200? You buying seeds to replace an 11' plant?

Have you ever thought that maybe the plants just got sick of you not valuing them enough and ran away? On their way out of the neighborhood they probably kicked down a couple mailboxes

[ChadTower]

I didn't say it ran through the 11' bushes.  It ran through the 5' (3' deep) bushes on the short side of the property.

[shmokes]

Heh.  I figure the damage is probably less than $200 in cost of plants and materials.  It will just take a long time for the gap in the bushes to go away and that is damn annoying.

I say screw it,  throw some tomato seeds in there and call it some deco kind of thing.  Take the 200 bucks you saved and apply it to some frivolous spending ... that could probably get you 4 months worth of cable tv.

If he decides not to replace the bushes I would still have a hard time calling that money saved.  Had the plows not ---fouled up beyond all recognition--- up his yard he wouldn't have had to spend $200 on new bushes.  He already had bushes.  So if he decides not to replace the bushes he just breaks exactly even.  He doesn't suddenly have $200 extra dollars in his pocket.

[ChadTower]

Plus I want the bushes.  There's a gap in my bushes now just about the width of a plow blade.

[saint]

Put in some cheap walk-way stones and call it a new entry. Viola. Instant makeover.

[ChadTower]

Heh.  It's about 10' from the actual end of the bushes and edge of my driveway and the opening would only lead right to the 4 story maple tree behind it.

I'm half tempted to put a mannequin with a parachute there and leave the bushes squashed.

[clanggedin]

Pant a nice row of road spikes under the bushes. Then next year when this happens again you will be able to figure out who did it because their plow will be the one with flat tires.

[ChadTower]

I actually thought about making that joke earlier... then I remembered that the spikes would just have been dug up with the 6" of soil.

[shardian]

Ok then, get you some 5' sections of 4" schedule 40 pipe and a few bags of concrete. Set them bad boys 2' deep in a concrete base and fill em up with concrete. Then plant bushes around them as normal.
Next time this happens, you will know who did it because their plow will still be sitting there when the cops arrive.

[leapinlew]

I know how to fix this. Buy a house in Miami. Next to Schmokes.

[RayB]

Put in some cheap walk-way stones and call it a new entry. Viola. Instant makeover.

The french word you're trying to use is spelled VOILA. The word you just used is spanish for rape.

[USSEnterprise]

Put in some cheap walk-way stones and call it a new entry. Viola. Instant makeover.

The french word you're trying to use is spelled VOILA. The word you just used is spanish for rape.

Isn't it also a musical instrument?

[DrewKaree]

Put in some cheap walk-way stones and call it a new entry. Viola. Instant makeover.

The french word you're trying to use is spelled VOILA. The word you just used is spanish for rape.

Seems like the right term to use in this instance, although it WAS inadvertent!


Chad, 5' bushes?  Take a pic of 'em.  My guess is arbor vitae of some sort.  If not, though, you can find arbor vitae fairly cheap, and replace all 4.  They'll grow quicker than you thought possible...possibly to height within a year-ish, and to width in 3-5.

If they're not arbor vitae, a pic will help to possibly identify them.

Another possibility is certain spirea's, a lilac (would take a while to fill in, but you definitely DON'T want to plant 2 unless you're taking out the other 2), or a burning bush.

[tommy]

I think the guy plowing our neighborhood friday night was trashed.  He took out a bunch of mailboxes, dug up some front yard pieces... at our house, he drove through our 5' front bushes, dug them up entirely along with about 6" of soil, and stopped just shy of hitting the 4 story maple tree behind them.  This is the worst example but we've had similar damage every freakin winter from these plow guys.  This guy drove straight through our bushes perpendicular to the road.   

Now we have a giant gap in the front bushes for no apparent reason.

Did he make any improvements that you are not aware of? 

[hyiu]

I too would vote for building a concrete block in the middle, and the grow back the bushes around it.  Next time when the plow hit it, it'll get damaged, and you can SUE the hell out of it to get everything fixed !!! (including the concrete block....)

don't let people get away with things like this !!
 

[saint]

I was thinking more of the musical instrument.

Ummm

Yeah.

I gotta go.

Put in some cheap walk-way stones and call it a new entry. Viola. Instant makeover.

The french word you're trying to use is spelled VOILA. The word you just used is spanish for rape.

[DrewKaree]

a concrete block in the middle, and bushes around it...the plow'll get damaged

For everyone thinking this is the solution, you guys are 1) off your rockers with little knowledge and 2) unaware that unless he posts a sign, CHAD will more than likely be the one paying after someone sues him for the damage HE caused to THEIR vehicle - it's the reason there's signs telling you backing up will cause damage to your tires

The size of the concrete block needed to actually DAMAGE a plow truck would cost him FAR more than the cost he has in mind to replace those bushes, and there's still a pretty good chance it won't do anything other than bust a hydraulic hose or POSSIBLY get the thing stuck.  's funny to consider, but something like a Burmese tiger pit would be what would actually work.

[shmokes]

---steaming pile of meadow muffin---, Chad wouldn't be paying for anything.  You can't sue someone for having something in their yard that isn't save to drive over.  Well . . . you can't win anyway.  Maybe he should just make a call to the city every year and say, "Hey, guys.  Just a friendly reminder about my concrete block.  Don't drive ON MY LAWN and you should be okay."

[DrewKaree]

---Cleveland steamer---, Chad wouldn't be paying for anything.  You can't sue someone for having something in their yard that isn't save to drive over.  Well . . . you can't win anyway.

Are you retarded?  Aren't you looking to BECOME a lawyer?  This kind of crap happens, and people DO win.

Purposefully putting something in his yard that serves no purpose other than to damage someone else's vehicle most certainly can get you sued and there's a very real possibility that they CAN win. 

In case you're not recognizing the similarities, having a dog that attacks a burglar or shooting someone and wounding them is the same thing - you CAN sue someone for something in their house that isn't safe for them to illegaly ENTER YOUR HOUSE. 

In case you seem to think those are unreasonable, planting your mailbox eleventy feet deep in concrete with solid metal posts being the support system for them can get you sued, and you WILL lose when it is demonstrated that you did this to "get them ---daisies--- back" - the ones that keep running over your mailbox because they're hammered.  Same thing, same concept, same outcome, and this is a definitive case.

Are you SURE you're cut out to be a lawyer?  You don't seem to grasp the need to have no reasons to sue or the very real possibility you can convince a group of 12 dolts that you were wrong in attempting to "defend" your property in such a manner.

[tetsu96]

Ok then, get you some 5' sections of 4" schedule 40 pipe and a few bags of concrete. Set them bad boys 2' deep in a concrete base and fill em up with concrete. Then plant bushes around them as normal.
Next time this happens, you will know who did it because their plow will still be sitting there when the cops arrive.

Why make it complicated?  Fill up a garbage can with concrete (or bricks but that might not do it in this case) and put that out to the curb.  Heh, that worked like a charm against high school kids back when I was in school (just imagine crappy 80's cars hitting garbage cans for fun then taking a shot at that - even the ones built like bricks took a good hurt from those).

YMASPMV.

[boykster]

I know I posted this before, but we had a rash of kids hitting garbage cans with their cars on garbage night.  I had a "friend" install a steel/concrete bollard in front of my house (a removable one) and took an old garbage can and cut a hole in the bottom.  I put it out on trash night, and like clockwork -> CRASH!!!!!

Hasn't been back since.....

[billf]

I've seen plenty of yards with lots and lots of "things" in their yards that would do severe damage to vehicles if driven over, but last time I checked vehicles weren't supposed to be driving through yards. 

Someone suggested a concrete block wall with bushes surrounding it - I've seen many a "decorative" and/or retaining type walls on plenty of properties with many shrubs and bushes around it.  If this is run over by someone in a vehicle are you telling me that the property owner is responsible for repairs to the moron's vehicle because there wasn't a sign posted that said, "dumbasses don't drive your vehicle onto my property and hit my wall"?  Come on.

[FrizzleFried]

Hell,  a concrete bird bath would work.  Or simply witness the asshat doing what he does,  take his license number down,  call the cops and the city.

[billf]

Hell,  a concrete bird bath would work.  Or simply witness the asshat doing what he does,  take his license number down,  call the cops and the city.

Exactly.

[DrewKaree]

Someone suggested a concrete block wall with bushes surrounding it - I've seen many a "decorative" and/or retaining type walls on plenty of properties with many shrubs and bushes around it.  If this is run over by someone in a vehicle are you telling me that the property owner is responsible for repairs to the moron's vehicle because there wasn't a sign posted that said, "dumbasses don't drive your vehicle onto my property and hit my wall"?  Come on.

What you're speaking of is nothing like what was suggested. 

Notice the last 2 "suggestions".  Fill up a garbage can with concrete, and the "cut a hole in the bottom and throw it over to disguise the concrete post".

Both are easily proven to be done to damage trespassers and does nothing to discern between losing control of a person's car and purposefully tearing up someone's yard.

If you guys can't grasp this, keep making with the ideas.  Eventually, even shmokes will get the point, but please, spare me the "a decorative bed made up of architectural block is the same as a pile of concrete disguised so as to create maximum damage to an asshat I believe is doing this on purpose".  Nobody is suggesting that I agree with the idiot tearing up Chad's lawn, but stupid suggestions like those that have been given are simply nothing more than people who haven't stopped to consider the consequences of their own behavior, not to mention the asstastic look it gives to the landscape.

Rolling 4-5 large boulders onto the edge of his property does the same exact thing, and can easily be pointed to as being "decorative" and something you can easily defend.  Putting a hidden pile of concrete between trees?  Yeah, go right ahead and do it.

Oddly enough, I'm betting Chad gets this point while the rest of you aren't considering all the other crap that makes the news that people sue (and WIN) about, and simply think it's an airtight case that "dude shouldn't have been doin' donuts in the front lawn, yo!"