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Neighbor's Tree Fell On My Car During A Storm, Insurance Says The Tree Owner Is Liable But Neighbor Is Refusing To Give Me Their Insurance Info — What Are My Options?

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location: Ohio

A large oak tree on my neighbor's property fell during a wind storm last week and landed on my parked car in my own driveway, causing about $6,000 in damage. My auto insurance adjuster told me that since the tree was healthy (not visibly dead or rotting beforehand) and it fell due to the storm, this would typically be treated as an "act of God" and my own comprehensive coverage would apply, but if there's evidence the tree was already diseased or a known hazard, the neighbor's homeowner's insurance could be liable instead.

I have photos from two months ago showing large dead branches and visible fungal growth on the trunk, and I mentioned it to my neighbor in a text at the time asking if they were planning to have it looked at. They never responded to that text.

My neighbor is now refusing to give me their homeowner's insurance information, saying "it was just a storm, that's not my fault." I do have my own comprehensive coverage and could go that route, but my deductible is $1,000 and I'd rather not eat that cost if the tree was genuinely a known hazard beforehand.

Do I have a legal right to request my neighbor's homeowner's insurance information directly, or does that request need to go through my own insurance company? And separately, does the prior text conversation about the visible damage change the liability analysis here, or does "act of God" still cover it as a defense since a storm was still involved?

submitted by /u/Upbeat_Net2748
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