ST. LOUIS – St. Louis City right now is frantically cutting down potentially dangerous limbs, which could be threatening unsuspecting citizens.

This follows a million-dollar plus jury verdict on behalf of a man who was nearly killed by a falling branch.

We noticed forestry crews contracted by St. Louis, cutting down limbs on Jamieson, even during the extreme winds Wednesday. They were taking down rotting and potentially hazardous limbs that could do a lot of damage.

It’s just blocks from where a man nearly died when a limb fell on him waiting at this bus stop in 2022. It fell from a tree that remains standing today.

“It was a massive branch and there was no avoiding it,” attorney Chris Saracino said.

Co-counselor Alex Wolff, who also represented the victim, said, “He broke his neck, shattered his ankle. He’s very lucky to be alive.”

Wolff and Saracino recently won a $1.54 million jury verdict.

“There were no reports or inspections or maintenance on that tree that we could discover at all,” Saracino said.

They claim St. Louis relies on the public to call in concerns about trees, rather than being proactive.

“There are things that a certified arborist can see that a member of the citizenry are not trained to recognize,” Wolff said.

This past November, FOX 2 News we featured residents’ concerns about the trees in the same neighborhood.

“People’s lives are in jeopardy man,” Bob Jackson said, unaware at the time of the man struck by a limb nearby. Jackson was raising the alarm about his own hazards.

“Just from here, the houses you can see immediately around us. There are three homes that have been damaged.”

At the time, the Forestry Division said citizens could get action by calling the Citizens’ Service Bureau, something Saracino and Wolff say should be in addition to proactive tree maintenance.

“To find out they had no plan at all was really shocking,” Wolff said.

A city spokesman said they could not comment because of the litigation. Counselor Saracino believes recent tree trimming is a sign St. Louis is stepping up.

“I would also hope they would do that proactively and make sure the people of St. Louis are safe,” Saracino said.

You’re encouraged to contact CSB if you have concerns about a tree or any other St. Louis safety issue. You can report a problem online here or call 314-622-4800.