NORTHERN KENTUCKY — Park Hills residents are picking up the pieces after storms ripped through much of Northern Kentucky Tuesday, leaving many families with damage — and questions about who is responsible for paying for it.
Alyca Williamson had her neighbor's tree come crashing down through the back windshield of her sister's car.
"She's staying with us as she looks for a job. She's an art teacher, so she is looking for a job locally, and her poor car got a branch in the back windshield," Williamson said.
Now, Williamson is trying to figure out which insurance policy should cover the damage.
WATCH: Northern Kentucky insurance agent explains storm damage liability
"Now we are trying to talk to insurance, trying to figure out whose insurance is supposed to be dealing with this, because the tree was on a neighbor's property line, so we don't know if that's on us, if that's on him," Williamson said.
Fellow Park Hills resident Ashley Cudnik is facing a similar situation. A tree from her neighbor's yard came crashing down and completely demolished her front porch during Tuesday night's storms. Cudnik said her insurance company has not yet given her clear answers.
"They didn't really ask me where the tree was and stuff, so I think I need to call them back cause I didn't get a lot of information from that lady," Cudnik said.
Tony Rollins, owner and agent at Rollins Insurance in Northern Kentucky, said the general rule may surprise some homeowners.
"Generally speaking, when it's someone else's tree, your policy is going to be liable for your property damage," Rollins explained. "Same would be true of injury if it were to fall and cause an injury."
However, there is an exception. If a homeowner can be proven to have negligently failed to maintain or care for a rotting or unsafe tree on their property, and a storm knocks it over onto a neighbor's property, that homeowner could be held financially responsible.
"The downside to that too is once that claim is paid, a liability claim on a home policy sometimes can be the kiss of death. You might be non-renewed for that," Rollins said.
Rollins said the best way to avoid that situation is to stay ahead of the danger.
"If you've got signs that the tree is obviously dying or you've got holes from woodpeckers or it's just starting to bend and fight another tree, it's to your advantage obviously to have somebody come out and take that away," Rollins said.
Ultimately, Rollins said the most important step is knowing your policy and filing a claim quickly in case of disaster.
