City Frees Car Stuck Under Fallen Tree After Two Days

A woman visiting North Hollywood to see her sick brother received another blow Saturday morning, when a wind storm knocked tree branches onto her car.

It took two days for the city to remove the debris, and Saturday's winds left other damage in the neighborhood -- two cars just a few blocks away that were trapped under fallen trees.

Debra McMurtry, an Apple Valley resident, told NBC4 she didn't hear back from the Los Angeles Police Department, Fire Department or street services when she called to report the tree that had fallen on her car. She called 311 seven times, on Saturday, she said.

“Waited, waited, waited. Nothing,” McMurtry said.

When a furstrated McMurtry told her what happened, NBC4 reporter Kate Larsen called Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian, who contacted other city officials and said the car would be city workers would make the car their first priority Monday.

Now that her car is free, the question facing McMurtry is who will pay for the damage? Her or the city?

"I’m praying to the dear Lord that they will,” she said.

The owner of another car stuck under a fallen tree said she'd complained about the drying roots for years.

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