After a tree destroyed five cars, the owners applied for compensation from the municipality.
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A gust of wind turned into a real nightmare for the owners of 5 cars. The incident, during which a huge willow fell on the vehicles, sparked discussions.
In the parking lot on Labūnavos Street, a gust of wind turned into a real nightmare for the owners of five cars. The incident, during which a huge willow fell on the vehicles, sparked talks that residents had long ago asked for the tree to be cut down, but the eldership did not receive permission to do so.
Moreover, the residents applied to the municipality for compensation, but whether that application will turn into money to repair the damaged cars is still a question.
Eldership head: “Fortunately, no one was injured”
The report about the incident was received late in the evening via the emergency number. The special services that arrived at the scene saw that a huge willow, broken near the base of the trunk, was completely covering five passenger cars. Firefighters cut the tree with chainsaws and removed it from the crushed cars.
After the cleanup, the parking lot surface was swept, but the owners were left not only with broken glass and dented bodies but also many questions about compensation for the damages.
Josvainiai eldership head Algimantas Srividas admits that this incident caused a lot of discussions. According to him, residents’ opinions about the fate of the mentioned tree had previously differed.
“Now everyone says the tree should have been cut down long ago, but when it was discussed, there were many who opposed this idea. Who could have thought this would happen?
Especially since the wind caused no damage anywhere else – neither near the cemetery nor in the town. And there are much older trees there, but they stand as they did.
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Some people had previously asked to cut down that tree; it was inspected, but at that time it was considered to be in satisfactory condition. Permission to cut it down was not granted,” the eldership head said.
A. Srividas emphasized that the critical moment was the wind direction and location.
“There, between the houses, the gust of wind probably swirled and knocked down that tree. It was evening, everyone was already home, the parking lot was full… Fortunately, no one was injured,” he said.
According to the eldership head, all the damaged cars were older, and their owners did not have comprehensive insurance, so the financial burden falls directly on their shoulders.
The municipality assesses the possibility of “force majeure”
Still, not all residents accepted the idea of repairing the damaged cars at their own expense. The Kėdainiai district municipality confirmed that a request for compensation from one resident has already reached the administration, but no hasty promises are being made to him or other victims.
“The resident’s request is being reviewed by a commission. Whether compensation can be expected, we cannot answer at this time until the investigation is completed,” the official response states.
Municipal specialists will investigate whether the squall that occurred on July 12 can be considered a force majeure circumstance.
“After the investigation, it will be clarified whether the squall in Josvainiai created conditions to exempt from liability. The maintenance of greenery and other circumstances will also be evaluated.
According to available data, permission to cut the tree was not given because the tree’s condition, as of March 2025, was assessed as satisfactory,” the municipality representatives commented on the situation.
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