x
Breaking News
More () »

Call 11 for Action: Grandmother’s home threatened by neighbor’s tree

An 89-year-old woman says with her neighbor's tree hanging over her home, she doesn't feel safe.

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - An 89-year-old woman says with her neighbor's tree hanging over her home, she doesn't feel safe.

The tree is already dead and falling apart over Joanne Pawloski's roof.

The city of Toledo says there is nothing they can do because the house lies on private property. However, to remove the tree, Pawloski would have to pay thousands of dollars.

Pawloski raised all nine of her children in her west Toledo home of 65 years. She says does not want to leave, but she does not feel safe after a massive limb from a tree next door fell on her house.

"I don't wanna move," Pawloski said. "I look at the neighborhood and everybody says you should move and I say, 'No! I'm not letting my house get broken into and wrecked.'"

Pawloski and her children take great care of her home, but she's now surrounded by vacant and neglected houses and lots.

Pawloski's daughter showed Call 11 for Action the damage.

"It hit the corner of the house there's still branches up on the roof because my brother wasn't able to get those down," Linda Frass said.

A huge tree-trunk sized limb hit her house, knocking out her phone line, her only way to communicate, and her electricity.

"It took the wires the phone wires down and there was a chain link fence there and it broke that because she used to have a locked gate there," Frass said.

What is left of the tree is hanging directly over Pawloski's bedroom.

"It's scarier," Frass said. "The bigger that it gets, like today when the storm's rolling, in we're like, 'Oh no is it going to be this time?'"

One of Pawloski's daughters and the city of Toledo contacted the property owner and have had no response.

"The city wanted me to pay to have it taken down," Pawloski explained.

The issue is now in court. In the meantime, she just wants a response from the city.

Follow WTOL: 📷 📷
Download our app here.

Before You Leave, Check This Out