We have so many large, old trees here that we tend to pay attention to loud noises in the night.* Sometimes, they mean something (as it might be a chunk of dying Norway Maple falling and nearly but Not Quite smashing a brand new laurel, silverbell, and cornelian cherry the other day).With unfortunate frequency it also means someone losing control of their car at something over 60 on the road and its deceptive curve.
So I paid attention last night to the crunch, especially since it had an ominous metal/wood sound. When I heard a car accelerating past a minute or so later, I decided it wasn’t on the road; so it was probably a tree, and if it had hit something….well nothing to be done about it at midnight!
I went looking for the culprit this morning, but found nothing. Until I went to work, that is. At which point I saw the state troopers and my neighbor contemplating his mailbox. Or I should say the remains of the mailbox and the odd tire tracks. The car I heard accelerating off must have skidded off and flattened the mailbox. Lucky for him, a few feet farther on is a telephone pole and a few feet beyond that are two massive white pines, I don’t think the car would have won against those…
*why is it always at night?
Acair Fearann 
I wonder that, too! It seems that large limbs fall at night? Maybe this is when the termites or what eats away at the rotted wood is most active?
I hadn’t thought about that, the insects that is.
It could also be that there is less background noise so we are more likely to hear it. Or sheer perversity!