Three drivers who hit a tree that fell across County Road 3 last week are asking the Dallas County Commission to repair their vehicles.

The tree fell sometime in the early morning hours of Monday, Nov. 2 and was first struck at 4:35 a.m.

According to a claim, the first driver tried to call for help but his cell phone didn’t have service or wasn’t working. He instead turned around and drove home.

The second drive hit the tree at approximately 5:15 a.m. According to Dallas County Engineer Coosa Jones, the first call to the sheriff’s department came in at 5:17 a.m.

A sheriff’s deputy arrived on the scene at 5:34 a.m., but before he arrived, a third vehicle hit the tree.

Jones said the county road department crew was notified about the tree at 5:38 a.m. and had a crew working to remove it by 6:05 a.m.

The three cars combined sustained approximately $15,000 in damage, according to Jones.

County attorney John Kelly said the county must have prior notice that a road is unsafe before they can be held liable.

Commissioner Larry Nichols, whose district includes the site of the accidents, asked that the claims be tabled until they can be investigated more.

In other business, the county commission discussed the following items:

The county is wrapping up last year’s audit, which had no findings.

County Probate Judge Kim Ballard praised county administrator Barbara Harrell for her work on the audit.

“This is nine years straight that we have had an unqualified audit. That means no findings. It’s quite an accomplishment and due to Barbara and her county commission staff,” Ballard said.

Given the recent cold weather, the county is ending its mosquito spraying program for the year.

The second Dallas County Commission meeting of November is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. at the Dallas County Courthouse Annex.