Photo: A Rotten Tree Has Fallen on a Car, Owner Refuses Removal - Who Will Compensate for the Damage?

The president of the Community Consolidation and Support Center in the Lori region, Oleg Durgaryan, wrote on his Facebook page:

"On February 7 in Alaverdi, due to strong winds, a rotten tree fell and struck the car belonging to Arkadi Mghdsyan. For several days now, Arkadi Mghdsyan has refused to allow the removal of the tree from his car, and he is right to do so.

The issue here is that the citizen is convinced he should be compensated, and logically, he is correct. The tree was rotten and should have been cut down in a timely manner to prevent such consequences. Just as easily, the tree could have struck, for instance, a child or even an adult, leading to irreversible consequences.

The question of who should compensate Arkadi Mghdsyan for his damages falls logically on the local self-governing bodies, but it seems there is no appropriate procedure in place.

Before taking the matter to the courts, it is necessary to assess this incident and provide a clear official response on whether there is culpability in such cases, and who should compensate the citizen for his losses.

I call on government bodies to take a state and official approach to this issue, as the voice of the citizen is being overlooked while time is of the essence," he wrote.