Had a branch drop on my truck last Tuesday in Birmingham
I was parked right under a mature oak while doing a delivery route, not even near where I was cutting. The branch was about 6 inches thick and came down out of nowhere after a light breeze... cracked the windshield right across the middle. The homeowner came out and said "I was gonna call someone about that dead limb next week." How do you all deal with spotting hazards like that on private property when you're just passing through?
Man, for real! Same thing happened to me last spring down in Atlanta. I was making a quick stop at a gas station, not even thinking about it, and a huge limb just snapped off and landed right on the hood of my work van. The tree looked totally fine from the ground, no dead leaves or anything. Now I always do a quick scan of the canopy before I even put the truck in park. It's wild how a quiet tree can just reach out and grab you like that.
Get a good look at the trees as you pull up, especially if it's windy out. If anything looks sketchy, just park somewhere else or give it a wide berth.