Tree topples onto west Charlotte house above resident's bed

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A man woke up to a loud boom Monday morning when a giant tree fell on his house in west Charlotte.

The tree fell around 8 a.m. in the 2700 block of Columbus Drive.

Rodney Mitchell received a flash flood alert on his phone, and minutes later he heard a loud boom and debris landed on his face. He rushed to find his two dogs, and get them out of the house.

Mitchell said the weight of the tree cracked the ceiling of his bedroom, and pieces of debris cut his face.

“I didn't notice anything was on my face until everybody kept telling me. I still don’t even feel it because of the adrenaline,” Mitchell said.

The Charlotte Fire Department declared the home unsafe.

David Jenkins, who owns the duplex and rents one of the homes to Mitchell’s family, said he took out a tree on the property a year ago so something like this wouldn’t happen. The tree fell from a neighbor’s yard.

He also said the street in front of the home is prone to flooding. He said he has been talking with the city of Charlotte for 8 to 9 months about replacing a pipe to prevent flooding.

“I don't know if it would have prevented the tree from falling, but I do know it would have prevented the ground from being soft,” Jenkins said.

Channel 9 contacted the city about the project. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services said the project is in the works, but construction won’t start for at least a year.

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