Düsseldorf (dpa / lnw) – The city of Düsseldorf has to pay for the damage caused by a falling Christmas tree on Christmas Eve in 2013. That was decided by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court on Friday.
The tree was knocked down by a gust of wind on the Königsallee shopping street and seriously injured a courier driver nine years ago. She suffered a compound fracture of her leg. Years of litigation followed.
The city was obliged to set up the tree safely, the court found in the second instance. The tree had already fallen 19 days before the accident and was then put up again.
The city had argued that it was not its employees, but those of a shopping center who put the tree back up after the first fall – and obviously not safely enough.
The court saw it differently: According to the witnesses, it was more of a city employee who put the tree back up.