Neighbor's Trampoline Causes Thousands in Property Damage: Why They Refuse to Pay

Yahoo

18-05-2025

A storm launched a neighbor's trampoline into a Redditor's yard, causing thousands of dollars in damage
The neighbor refused to pay, arguing it was an "act of God" and suggesting the Redditor file an insurance claim instead
The homeowner, an attorney, pushed back, which resulted in them threatening legal actionAn anonymous poster turned to Reddit for advice after a neighbor's trampoline wreaked havoc on their property during a storm.
The drama unfolded around 5 p.m., when the man received text messages from his "great next-door neighbor who said that a trampoline came flying in a storm and damaged our fence/barn behind our house."
Upon reviewing security footage, the poster discovered that the airborne trampoline originated from the neighbors across the street (referred to as NAS). Although they weren't friends with their neighbors, there had been no prior issues.
Assessing the damage, the man noted that their 'fence was destroyed, almost knocked flat." However, it wasn't just the fence that needed repairs. "The trampoline hit the barn so hard it dented the metal walls and broke two panels on the garage door,' the man explained in the post.
They estimated the cost of repairs to be between $5,000 to $10,000, given that 'the fence was decorative aluminum to appear like wrought iron and the damaged section was 4-5 panels and cost us approximately 4 grand three years ago.' The barn, which was only two years old, also sustained significant damage.
While the poster was surveying the destruction, their neighbor arrived. 'As I was surveying the damage, the husband NAS came walking up the driveway. He did not appear concerned and more annoyed than anything,' they continued.
The two walked the property together to assess the situation, and the neighbor asked, 'What do you want to do about the damages?' The poster, still processing the situation, responded, 'Well, your trampoline caused the damages, you are responsible.'
Instead of accepting responsibility, the neighbor suggested that the homeowner file a claim with their own insurance. 'NAS said, 'Well, it's all damage to your property. You should put all the damage through your insurance.' I was, again, shocked and incredulous at the audacity of this person.'
Given their legal background, the poster knew that wasn't the correct course of action. 'I told him, I'm an attorney (I actually am in my state). Your failure to secure the trampoline caused it to fly into my yard and destroyed my fence and damaged my barn. I'm not putting a claim on my insurance (I don't want my premium to increase).'
Despite the poster's explanation, the neighbor remained unwilling to cooperate, stating, 'Well, I'm not paying cash and not making a claim against my insurance. This was an act of God.'
The homeowner, unimpressed, reminded the neighbor of the legal reality. 'I said to him, 'Okay, I'm sorry you see it that way. My firm sues around 200 cases per week. Suing one more next week will not be difficult.' '
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That statement seemed to change the neighbor's tone. 'That is when NAS finally agreed to put his homeowners on notice and exchanged his phone number with me.' The poster later consulted with colleagues and mentors, who suggested that NAS likely didn't want to tell his insurer that he had a trampoline, which can increase insurance costs due to the risk of liability claims.
'Several colleagues and my mentor said he probably never put the trampoline on his insurance, and an unreported trampoline can lead to cancellation of NAS homeowners insurance,' they explained.
Since turning to Reddit, many users have sided with the poster, claiming the 'act of God' defenses typically don't apply when negligence is involved, such as failing to secure an item that could become hazardous in bad weather.
Read the original article on People