Hail is one of the most destructive weather events that can happen. Hail is caused by a certain combination of thunderstorms in the general area, along with cold temperatures within a storm cloud. The result of these conditions is rounded balls of ice that fall from the sky. While most rainstorms and thunderstorms in Florida do not produce hail, it still happens on occasion. When pieces of hail fall from the sky in Florida, they can be the size of a golf ball or larger and reach speeds of close to one hundred miles per hour. These large and fast particles can obviously cause severe damage upon impact. This kind of hail damage is a serious financial concern as well, as it costs American homeowners billions of dollars each year in repairs and related expenses.
Hail also creates a unique set of concerns. Because hail storms are sudden and the particles can cause damage quickly, there is little that can be done to prepare for a hail storm or attempt to prevent the damage. Property owners can purchase insurance to try to cover the costs of hail damage and related problems, but this is usually not a perfect solution due to problems in the insurance industry. Florida hail damage claims insurance lawyers are often needed to get answers from the insurance company and determine if the provider is doing anything illegal after a claim is filed. Here is a summary of some of the potential problems that can happen due to a hail storm and the reasons why there can be
issues with an insurance provider.
Hail is known to cause several types of serious damage to homes, vehicles, businesses, and other structures and properties. Shattered windows are common, as many types of glass cannot withstand the force of pieces of hail striking them at a high speed. Roof damage is also another problem, due to the fact that shingles and other parts of the roof can tear or be penetrated by falling objects such as hail. If hail penetrates through the roof, the interior or a home or structure can experience water damage from leaks as well. Houses that have shingles or siding can experience cracks and holes from the force of the hail striking the sides of the structure. Hail damage can also be a long term concern, as all of the damage that happens may not be immediately noticeable, resulting in multiple repairs or insurance claims in the months or years following the storm.
After the storm passes, hail damage claims attorneys in Florida can assist any homeowner who has documented their damage, filed a claim with their insurance company, and experienced issues such as significant delays or denials for illegitimate reasons.
Once an insurance claim has been filed due to hail damage, there are a number of potential reasons that the claimant may want to get a lawyer to assist them. While not all insurance claims will require legal assistance, problems with claims are more common than most homeowners realize. The Florida hail damage claims insurance lawyers can review any effective policies and see if the insurance company’s response is in line with the terms actually listed in the policy. Insurance companies will sometimes become evasive or give vague responses to homeowners to waste the claimant’s time and save money in the process if little or no compensation is paid out. These kinds of unethical behaviors may continue until the company receives notice from a lawyer that they need to respond. Delays can also be a legitimate problem if a major storm has affected a large section of Florida and thousands of homeowners are reporting damage at once.
If an insurance company offers a settlement at any point during this process, the hail damage claims attorneys can review the offer and advise their client whether it is worth accepting or not. Rather than accepting an initial offer, they can also continue settlement negotiations for as long as necessary to get the client a sufficient amount of compensation to make repairs.
Insurance claim denials are one of the most common reasons that a person will need legal advice from hail damage claims lawyers in Florida. Insurance companies can deny claims for many different reasons, some of them are legitimate and some are not. Permitted reasons for denying a claim can include the property owner waiting too long to file the claim, the insurance policy does not cover the type of damage in question, or the claimant did not follow all of the rules and procedures to submit the claim. A review of the policy documentation can usually help determine when a claim has been denied legitimately. However, there are things like administrative mistakes and errors made by insurance companies, or bad faith denials where legitimate hail damage claims are rejected. These are not allowed by law, and an insurance company that covers properties in Florida can face lawsuits and other consequences for violating the law or the terms of their own insurance policies. Bad faith claims are especially problematic, as this means that the insurance company purposely denied a good claim and engaged in dishonest practices to achieve that result. Due to the difficulties in getting in touch with the insurance company and filing an appeal after a denial, legal assistance can sometimes be the only way to ensure that the insurance provider is following the terms of their own policies and not attempting to reject a good claim.
Madalon Law is an experienced firm that deals with the insurance claims process in Florida. They have had success helping clients who have sustained various kinds of property damage from weather events such as hurricanes, hail storms, flooding, and other types of weather. Their hail damage claims insurance attorneys can provide additional advice about any of these matters, along with more specific advice during a consultation.
Most people are not aware of how the law works, the rights they have and the amount of compensation they can be entitled to after they have been injured in an accident that was the result of another party’s negligence. The obstacles and confusion that follow an accident and an injury can seem overwhelming.