Property losses from hurricanes can involve quite complex claims processes. Your insurance company may not treat you fairly regarding your property claim. If so, you have legal options and can get help from a Marksville hurricane damage claim lawyer from our team at Laborde Earles.
You can contact our Marksville insurance claims lawyer for help with your situation. We do not back down when the insurance company’s lawyers try to intimidate you into reducing the amount of your claim or into abandoning it altogether.
We appreciate the opportunity to stand up for the rights of our clients against unethical insurance companies. We have over 350 years of combined legal experience to draw upon, which we can utilize to assist with your claim. You can learn more during a free consultation today.
Why Hire a Hurricane Damage Claim Lawyer in Marksville?
Hiring a Marksville personal injury lawyer from our team means you’ll have someone on your side, standing up for your best interests after a natural disaster. An attorney can help with all the challenges you face after a storm, answer your questions, and ensure you understand the steps you need to take to get full compensation for your losses.
Our team can:
- Help you create a record of your losses
- Explain how to prepare for an insurance adjuster after a hurricane
- File the appropriate paperwork on your behalf
- Stick with you until the resolution of your claim
We’re standing by to assist you 24/7, so reach out now for a consultation. We can also explain how long you have to file an insurance claim for hurricane damage in Louisiana.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientInsurance Companies May Not Treat You Fairly
Insurance companies that write homeowner, small business, and other property policies in Louisiana have extensive experience with hurricane damage. So, naturally, you would expect the insurance company to use that experience to your benefit in processing your claim quickly.
Unfortunately, insurers may use that experience to try to reduce the amount of money they will give you for your claim. Unethical insurance companies know that many of their clients do not fully understand the language in the policy and just want to receive whatever payment they can get as quickly as possible.
They may take advantage of these situations by refusing to pay the full amount you deserve. They could also cite a technicality in the policy’s language that leaves you with a lower payment.
Common Types of Unethical Actions Insurers May Use
If you believe any of the following tactics are occurring in your dispute with your insurer, these could be signs of bad faith actions. These actions may include:
- Lying about the terms in your policy
- Coercing you to sign documents without fully explaining them
- Delaying the claims process without a valid reason
- Threatening you with insurance fraud criminal charges without cause
- Failing to follow the policy’s written terms
In addition to hiring our team to represent you in your dispute with the insurer, you can report the insurance company’s unethical behavior to the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) for investigation.
You can also rely on us to explain how to file a bad-faith insurance claim after a hurricane.
You Do Not Have to Stand for This Treatment
When you want help with understanding the exact language in your policy, our team of hurricane damage attorneys serving Marksville is ready to give you the legal representation you deserve. We will use our combined 350 years of experience in trying cases like this to decipher your policy’s language.
When insurance companies try to boost their profits by denying or reducing the claim payments their customers should have after a hurricane, we are ready to help. We will stand with you against the insurer’s tactics from start to finish in your case.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientUnderstanding How Insurers Handle Hurricane Damage Claims
An area of confusion that often comes up after a Louisiana hurricane involves just how the insurance company covers this type of damage.
Insurance companies do not write “hurricane insurance” policies. No such thing exists. Instead, the typical home or business property policy covers many types of damage that can occur after a hurricane passes through the area. Here are some common types of storm damage and how insurance companies often handle them.
Wind Damage
Nearly all insurance policies for property will cover wind damage from a hurricane. Many people experience this type of damage, as hurricanes bring strong winds that can last for hours.
Wind can cause various damages for homeowners and business owners, including:
- Roof damage
- Window damage
- Structural damage
- Damage from fallen tree limbs
- Damage to outlying buildings
You can learn more about wind damage with a Marksville hurricane damage lawyer.
Flood Damage
Flooding is also common with hurricanes. Excessive rain can lead to flooding concerns from swollen rivers. A storm surge can also cause significant floods in Louisiana.
However, very few property insurance policies include coverage against flooding. To receive protection against floods, property owners typically must purchase flood insurance separately, either as an add-on to an existing policy or as a policy from a government agency such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Non-Flooding Water Damage
Sometimes, water damage that occurs during a hurricane has nothing to do with flooding. Wind may damage the roof of a home, allowing heavy rains to penetrate the hole and cause significant water damage to the property.
In a case like this, the insurer should cover the cost of the damage through the regular policy. However, if the insurance adjuster or investigator does not take the time to fully look at the damage, they may assume flooding occurred, leading to a denial of your claim.
Our legal team will work to present your explanation of what happened to help you receive your payment.
Thunderstorms and Tornadoes
Sometimes, a hurricane will spawn other severe weather events as it enters or exits the area, including the possibility of tornadoes. Heavy rain and hail from a thunderstorm may also occur.
Your regular policy should cover damage from these types of weather events, regardless of whether they originated from a hurricane or another severe weather event.
The reassurance from Digger and his staff gave me that renewed hope that it’s going to be okay down the road.
ClientHurricane Deductibles in Louisiana
A hurricane deductible clause will appear in some property insurance policies in Louisiana. This clause often allows the insurance company to automatically increase the deductible in the policy if the property owner’s area is in a hurricane warning.
This increase can be highly confusing for some people. Your insurance company may try to claim it has a hurricane deductible on your property, even though our legal team has discovered no such language exists in your written policy.
Fortunately, your hurricane damage claim attorney in Marksville can then try to negotiate with the insurer in this situation.
They treated us like no other people would. Whenever we needed something they were there for us. I put my trust in them and I don’t regret it.
ClientWe Can Answer Questions About Your Claim
After the hurricane has passed, you may be left feeling worried about how you are going to get your property losses covered and begin to rebuild your life. The claims process can be complex. When you have unanswered questions, we have answers.
We have addressed some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding hurricane damage below. Please contact our office for a free consultation if you have any additional questions that we did not cover on this page.
Will I Have to Go to Court?
The vast majority of hurricane damage claims can be resolved without having to go to court. However, if the insurance company refuses to compensate you fairly for your damages or if they are unwilling to meet the terms of your policy, your attorney may recommend pursuing legal action against them.
Generally, even the threat of going to court is enough to get the insurance company to settle your claim reasonably. However, should it become necessary to go to court, your attorney will be prepared to do so if it means getting you the most out of your claim.
What Is “Preventive Care”?
Preventive care refers to the measures you may need to take following a hurricane to prevent further property losses. Some of the more common types of preventative care used following hurricanes include:
- Boarding up windows
- Using tarps to cover areas that may be susceptible to water or flood damage
- Taking other steps to reduce the likelihood of further damage to your property
Failure to take preventative care measures could have a devastating impact on your ability to recover compensation through your insurance company. If the insurance company can argue that you did not take preventative care measures, they may be able to deny you the compensation and benefits you are seeking in your claim.
You can learn more about how to get ready for a storm with our hurricane preparation and survival guide.
What Evidence Can a Lawyer Use to Support My Case?
If you hope to get the insurance company to settle your hurricane damage claim fairly, we will need to prepare to present them with irrefutable evidence to support your case. Some of the more common types of evidence that we could use to prove your property damage and the value of your losses include:
- An inventory of your personal property
- Photos of your more expensive pieces
- Pictures of damage to your property caused by the hurricane
- Quotes for repairs to your home or property
- Receipts for the preventative care measures you took and other out-of-pocket costs related to the hurricane damage in your case
- Video of the damage to your property
- A copy of your homeowner’s insurance, renter’s insurance, business insurance, or general liability insurance policy
These are only a few of the more common types of evidence that we can use to help get your hurricane damage insurance claim approved. Do not be surprised if the insurance company pushes back against your claim. They will lose money by settling your claim.
If you hope to avoid being taken advantage of after this natural disaster, make sure you have a strong legal advocate on your side, ready to help you fight the insurance company for the benefits that are rightfully yours.
Talk to Us After a Hurricane in Marksville, LA
Do not let an insurance company treat you unfairly after you file a claim for damage to your property in a hurricane. Call the team at Laborde Earles as soon as possible for a free case review and let us help you put your life back together.
You can rely on a Marksville hurricane damage claims attorney from our team to guide you through the legal process and provide the support you need.
