MadCowTree Service
What to do right now
- Get everyone out of the damaged part of the house and away from the tree. Trees that are hung up or resting on a roof can shift.
- Stay away from any wires. If a tree or limb is touching a power line, call your utility (Ameren in most of our area) and 911 first. Treat every wire as live.
- Call us at 618-CUT-WOOD (618-288-9663). Tell us what's down, where, and what it hit. If you can do it safely, take photos.
- Call your insurance company to open a claim. We work with your insurance and can send photos and an itemized invoice for the claim.
- We submit our bill to your insurance company on your behalf.
What our emergency crew does
First we make it safe. That means getting the weight off the roof or car, cutting away hung-up limbs and clearing the driveway so you can get in and out. On trees lying on a house we usually bring the crane and lift the tree off in sections instead of cutting it where it lies, which can cause more damage. The full cleanup, stump grinding and hauling can happen the same day or be scheduled after.
Storms we see every year
Spring and summer thunderstorms, straight-line winds and the occasional derecho knock trees down all over the Metro East and St. Louis. Winter ice storms load up limbs until they snap. River towns like Alton, Grafton and West Alton also deal with saturated ground after floods, which lets whole trees tip over at the roots. Silver maples, Bradford pears, cottonwoods and dead ash trees are the ones we cut off houses most often.
Why people call MadCow at 2 a.m.
- 24/7 emergency service, with crews available right away.
- Crane, grapple trucks and lifts for trees on structures.
- Insured with workers' comp, so you're not on the hook if someone gets hurt on your property.
- BBB A+ rated, ISA Member, and we work with your insurance company.
Where we do 24/7 emergency tree service
From our shop in Alton we cover about 30 miles on both sides of the river, including Godfrey, Edwardsville, Granite City, Collinsville, Jerseyville, St. Louis, Florissant, St. Charles and the rest of our service area.