Storm Damage Attorney in Baton Rouge

Has your home or commercial property in Baton Rouge suffered damage after a severe storm? Are you struggling to get your property insurance provider to accept your claim and pay you fairly? Don’t let the insurer’s greed stand in the way of getting your life back on track. Instead, let an experienced Baton Rouge storm damage attorney from Insurance Claim HQ help you seek the insurance benefits and financial recovery you’re entitled to.

At ICHQ, our attorneys can guide you through each step of the storm damage insurance claims process, from assessing the damage to dealing with the insurers. We know how to combat the tactics that insurance carriers use to delay, deny, or undercut your payment. With a track record of more than $1 billion recovered in insurance claim settlements for 70,000-plus clients, the insurance companies know we mean business.

Moreover, many of our lawyers live in Louisiana and the Deep South. This gives us direct, keen insight into what residents go through when disastrous weather conditions hit here. You are never just a client to us — you’re a neighbor who needs rebuilding when a storm takes everything away.

Let a trusted storm damage lawyer in Baton Rouge discuss your legal rights and options. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation and case review.

How a Baton Rouge Storm Damage Insurance Claim Lawyer Can Help with Your Case

A Baton Rouge storm damage lawyer from ICHQ can help you get the financial relief you need after weather damages your home and business by:

• Thoroughly investigating your case to recover all available evidence and documentation to support your storm damage claim
• Reviewing your policy terms to determine your coverage eligibility
• Preparing and filing your claim of loss
• Communicating with insurance adjusters on your behalf
• Pursuing your insurer’s internal appeals process if the company initially denies your claim
• Filing a lawsuit if the insurance company denies your storm damage claim in bad faith
• Never charging you anything unless we recover money on your insurance claim

How Could Insurance Companies Act in Bad Faith in My Storm Damage Claim?

Insurance companies may have legitimate reasons for denying a storm damage claim. These include the property owner’s failure to file a claim within the policy’s deadline; filing a claim outside the policy period; or filing a claim outside the scope of coverage or within a policy exclusion.

However, insurance carriers sometimes wrongfully or arbitrarily deny property owners’ claims for storm damage. Louisiana law imposes a duty of good faith and fair dealing upon insurers, requiring them to adjust claims fairly and promptly and to make reasonable efforts to settle claims.

An insurer may act in bad faith in adjusting a storm damage claim when it:

• Misrepresents material facts or insurance policy terms related to the coverage(s) at issue
• Fails to pay a settlement within 30 days after the parties reduce their agreement to writing
• Denies coverage or attempts to settle a claim based on an application the insurer knows was altered without notice to, knowledge, or consent of the insured
• Misleads a claimant regarding the applicable prescriptive period
• Arbitrarily or capriciously fails to pay the amount of an insurance claim within 60 days after receipt of satisfactory proof of loss
• Arbitrarily or capriciously fails to pay claims of damage to immovable property

What Evidence Will I Need to Keep the Insurance Adjuster Honest?

When filing a storm damage claim, you will need detailed information and documentation to ensure you receive total compensation for your property loss, including:

• Photos or videos of the property damage
• Receipts or invoices for any personal property damaged by the storm
• Copies of your insurance policy paperwork, including your insurance application
• Copies of all correspondence with the insurance company, including contemporaneous notes taken during phone calls with insurance adjusters
• Copies of initial claims checks
• Any written repair estimates or loss appraisals from independent adjusters

How Long Do I Have to File a Storm Damage Claim in Louisiana?

Your insurance policy will state how long you have to file a property damage claim after a storm. In most cases, you must notify your insurance company of a potential loss due to storm damage within that timeframe.

When your insurance company denies your claim in bad faith, the statute of limitations in Louisiana typically gives you 10 years to file a storm damage lawsuit alleging bad faith by your insurer. However, insurance policies can impose shorter deadlines for filing bad faith claims. You should check your policy and speak to a storm damage attorney from ICHQ as soon as possible to determine how long you have to file your storm damage claim.

What Should I Do After a Storm?

After a storm hits your home or property, you can put yourself in a favorable position to seek financial recovery for property damage or loss in a storm damage claim by taking the following steps:

• Conduct an initial interior and exterior inspection and take photographs of all property damage.
• Review your insurance policy language to determine your deductibles, coverage exclusions, and time limits for filing claims.
• Assess the damage, including by obtaining repair quotes or hiring an appraiser to value the loss.
• Contact ICHQ and let a storm damage attorney in Baton Rouge help you with the claims process.
• File an insurance claim as soon as possible to notify your insurer of the damage and begin the process of recovering compensation.

What Elements in a Storm Could Cause Damage to My Property?

Storms can cause damage to properties in many different ways, including the following:

• Rain – Rainwater can cause localized flooding or pooling on properties with poor drainage, potentially damaging yards or causing retaining walls to fail. It can also seep into buildings through cracks in the roof or structure, damaging wooden frames and increasing the risk of mold development.
• Ice – Rare winter storms in Baton Rouge can also result in freezing rain or ice, potentially damaging property by knocking down trees due to the weight of ice or directly damaging structures through the freeze-thaw cycle.
• Hail – Larger hailstones can cause significant property damage to roofs and, if they fall at the right angle, windows.
• Wind – Storm winds may come from ordinary thunderstorms, although more damaging winds may come from hurricanes and tornadoes. Violent winds from hurricanes and tornadoes can damage buildings directly, while any storm wind can damage property by tossing debris or knocking over trees or utility poles.
• Lightning Strikes – Lightning strikes during storms can damage properties in various ways, including directly striking and damaging structures, striking trees and causing them to fall onto buildings, or starting wildfires that damage entire neighborhoods.
• Power Surges – The electrical grid can suffer power surges due to lightning strikes on powerlines or substations or when trees and other debris fall onto power lines. Surges can cause transformers and substations to overload and spark/explode, potentially starting fires that damage nearby properties.
• Debris – Wind from a storm can pick up and blow around various pieces of debris, including pieces of buildings or vehicles broken off by other debris.
• Falling Trees – A storm can cause a tree to fall due to heavy rain that soaks and softens the ground, combined with heavy wind that eventually pushes the tree over. Sick or dead trees have a higher risk of falling over in storms. Falling trees can collapse into nearby buildings, causing severe roof and structural damage.
• Blowing Objects – Strong winds in a storm can pick up heavy or dangerous objects like tree branches, fencing materials, or outdoor furniture, blowing those objects into buildings and damaging roofs, windows, and facades.
• Wildfires – Lightning from a storm can trigger wildfires that may rapidly grow, potentially threatening surrounding neighborhoods.
• Flooding – A storm can dump heavy rain that causes lakes and rivers to flood. The power of a flood can severely damage structures, potentially ripping weaker buildings off their foundations. Flooding can also enter a building and cause severe water damage to the structure and property inside.
• Water Intrusion – Heavy rain and flooding can cause water intrusion into a home or building through cracks or damage in a structure’s roof, façade, or foundation. Water intrusion can cause various significant consequences for buildings, including causing mold or rotting/damaging building frames.

What Kinds of Storm Damage Might Not Be Covered Under My Insurance?

Some types of storm-related damage typically are not covered under a typical homeowners’ insurance policy. For example, most homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover damage caused by floods, even if a flood occurred due to a storm. Instead, homeowners must purchase separate flood insurance to obtain coverage for flood damage.

Furthermore, homeowners’ insurance policies may not cover damage caused by broken water mains or backed-up sewers and drains due to storms. Finally, some policies may reduce or exclude coverage for damage caused by winds from severe weather events such as tornadoes or hurricanes. Homeowners whose policies exclude wind damage coverage must purchase separate wind policies. Alternatively, policies that do cover wind damage may have higher deductibles for such claims.

A property casualty attorney from ICHQ can help by assessing your policy.

What Legal Rights Do I Have as an Insurance Policyholder in Baton Rouge?

As a property insurance policyholder in Baton Rouge, you have the right to have your property damage claim processed and investigated in a reasonable time. Once you submit satisfactory proof of a covered loss, an insurer must pay your claim or make a written offer to settle your claim within 30 days. Furthermore, you have the right to have your insurer reasonably and fairly evaluate your claim and refrain from denying your claim in bad faith.

Contact a Baton Rouge Storm Damage Insurance Claim Lawyer Today

Was your storm damage claim denied in Baton Rouge? You need experienced legal counsel to pursue the financial compensation you deserve from your insurance company. A Baton Rouge storm damage lawyer can discuss your options for pursuing your property damage or loss claim. Contact ICHQ today for a free, no-obligation initial consultation.