RICHMOND, Virginia – Bryan Nuckles had just moved into his home in Richmond’s Highland Park neighborhood when the city tree right in front of his property gave him an unpleasant welcome.

He didn’t usually park under the tree because neighbors who knew him had advised him against it.

“Three or four people on that street had warned us that it was a danger,” Nuckles said.

But one day in June, he was unloading some groceries and thought that things would be fine for now.

That was not the case. A huge, heavy branch broke off and fell down.

“And it fell directly on our car, shattered the frame, went through the dashboard and headrest of our car, into the air conditioning system, broke the engine mount and totaled the vehicle,” Nuckles said.

Bryan Nuckles

However, Nuckles said the incident could have been avoided if the tree had been better cared for.

“You could pan right up and see where all the living branches are coming out,” Nuckles told CBS 6, pointing to several branches that he said appeared lifeless. “And then these ones are dying. These ones are dying, and this one in the middle, about two-thirds of the way up, is just dead.”

Although Nuckles admitted that he was certainly not an arborist, he had the tree examined by a tree expert.

“He recommended that we cut down the tree immediately, at least the parts that were obviously dead. And we told him that the tree didn’t belong to us and that it was on city property. And he said, ‘That’s a disgrace,'” Nuckles recalls.

Nuckles said he called the city of Richmond to alert someone to the damage the tree had caused and to request an assessment by a city arborist.

“Richmond City doesn’t make it easy either. We had to spend an hour on the phone with different groups. Finally we reached the arborists, who gave us a number, and we had to wait a year,” said Nuckles.

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“Why did they say it would take a year?” asked reporter Tyler Layne.

“They said it was a matter of the time of year and the workload they have,” Nuckles said.

Insurance covered about half the cost of replacing the vehicle, but Nuckles said during his conversation with the city that it did not accept responsibility for the damage.

Bryan Nuckles

“But this would never have happened if they had done their due diligence in maintaining basic property,” Nuckles said.

If these concerns sound familiar, it’s because Richmond residents in various parts of the city have also expressed their displeasure over perceived poor tree care.

“My biggest concern is that the city will take care of their property just like I have to take care of my property,” said Southside resident Pamela Briggs after city trees fell in her yard last year.

“It’s emotional. We love these trees. I think caring for them and taking care of them would be the best thing we could do,” said East End resident Kelly Barnes after a fallen dead tree crushed a city worker during storm cleanup last year.

According to the Richmond Department of Urban Forestry, the city will remove a tree if an arborist or contractor determines it is dead, diseased or damaged and poses a safety hazard.

Richmond currently has three certified arborists who perform such assessments.

City spokeswoman Margaret Ekam said an assessment of the tree in front of Nuckles’ home was completed within a week of his service request.

The city updated Nuckles’ request with a code indicating a contract termination.

However, Nuckles said he did not know when work would begin, but hoped it would not take a year.

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“I’m glad we have these old trees here, except when they pose a danger,” Nuckles said. “The next thing that’s going to happen is it’s going to hit my house.”

Ekam said wait times will vary depending on public safety priorities. Anyone with concerns about the trees is asked to submit a service request through 311, she said.

Rely on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for in-depth coverage of this important local story. Anyone with more information can Email [email protected] to submit a tip.