Fairfield Accident Lawyer Explains California Insurance Policies For High Winds

Under California law, an insurance company is given the ability to decide what perils it covers and under what circumstances. Policies cannot legally be marketed under false pretenses, but also are not required to contain all the perils you may require coverage for. Damage caused by wind and hail is usually covered under both homeowners and renters insurance policies (though earthquake is not!). If you have questions regarding your specific insurance policy, speak with a Fairfield accident lawyer.

If damage occurs, it is always important to contact your insurance company to report any damage and schedule a visit from a claims adjuster as soon as possible. You should make any necessary temporary repairs to prevent further damage, but hold off on any permanent repairs until a claims adjuster has visited your home and completed their inspection. It is also very important to keep records of all costs caused by the initial incident, in addition to any resultant costs, including but not limited to the following:

• Temporary fixes
• Emergency relocation
• Water damage due to the initial wind damage
• Debris removal

These additional costs are covered only when directly resulting from the winds. If a hole is created in the roof of your home by a repairman attempting to fix the initial damage due to wind, and a rainstorm comes and causes water damage to the interior of your home, the insurance company may not cover it as it was a result of the repairman’s actions and not directly caused by the wind damage. However, if the water damage is caused by negligence on the repairman’s behalf, it may be covered by the contractor’s general liability insurance policy. Every case is unique and only an experienced Fairfield accident lawyer can advise you on the best legal action.

Some damages from windstorms may not be initially obvious – check the following after serious storms that carry the potential for wind damage:

• Test all faucets and check for leaks
• Open all cabinet doors to check for damage to plumbing
• Flush all toilets and check for leaks
• If any parts of your roof are readily visible, check for “pockmark” dents from hail
• Check for hail damage to other metal surfaces of the home, for example an air conditioning unit
• Check your walls and foundation for cracks – especially around windows and doors
• Check to see if your floors are still level – if not, this could indicate a shifting in your foundation
• Keep an eye out in the days following a severe wind and hailstorm for water stains and yellowing in the walls and ceiling of your home – this could indicate hidden structural damage

Important questions to ask your insurance representative when filing a claim:

• Is my specific property covered under my insurance?
• Should I get estimates on the cost of repairs or replacements necessary?
• When can I expect my claim to be processed and approved?
• What is my deductible? How much needs to be paid out of pocket before coverage is triggered?

When the claims adjuster visits your home, he or she will assess the severity of the damage, inform you of the materials and labor necessary to fix the damage, and determine how much money you should receive due to the damage.

It’s not a bad idea to have an independent company assess the damage, especially if you feel your claims adjustor did not complete a thorough investigation or feel your insurance company has not properly accounted for the costs of repair. And it’s always a great idea to consult with a Fairfield accident lawyer.

Insurance Bad Faith Lawsuit

If there is an issue with the insurance company delaying, denying, or underpaying a claim, you can file an insurance bad faith lawsuit.

• In addition to the original claim, , the plaintiff may receive additional damages including emotional distress, economic loss (if the property is related to the plaintiff’s manner of income), and punitive damages (to punish the insurance company)

It is important to keep this option in mind from the beginning – you’ll want to keep close records of all correspondence with the insurance company, and the times of such correspondence. There is a time limit for filing an insurance bad faith lawsuit – the suit must be filed within a year of the initial damage.

If you have sustained serious wind damage to your home or other property, and someone has been hurt as a result, you should consult with a Fairfield accident lawyer immediately. An experienced attorney will be able to properly deal with the insurance company for you and help get you the compensation you deserve. If you have already gone through the claims process and feel cheated, we can help ensure your case is reviewed and responsible parties are held accountable.

Call The Choyce Law Firm For Legal Advice

Have you or someone you know been injured or had property damaged due to dangerous winds? Contact a Fairfield accident lawyer for a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation.

FAIRFIELD PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY EXPLAINS INSURANCE UMBRELLA POLICIES

An Umbrella policy, also known as an Excess Insurance policy, operates how the name implies – it sits on top of the rest of your insurance policies like an umbrella, providing excess coverage for high liability situations.

• One umbrella policy can be written over multiple lines of insurance, and many homeowners have umbrella policies that simultaneously provide excess coverage for their homeowners and automotive policies.
• Your umbrella policy limits will remain untouched until the underlying insurance policy has reached its maximum limits, and most insurance companies will not allow the addition of an umbrella policy until you have purchased the recommended limits on your underlying insurance policy.
• For most insurance companies, this will mean that you need to have $1,000,000 liability limits on your homeowners policy to qualify for the purchase of an umbrella policy.

Why Have an Umbrella Policy?

An umbrella policy is the most cost effective and efficient way to set above standard limits for your insurance policy. The umbrella policy allows you to increase your protection across all your underlying policies with one quick and easy move, rather than adjusting each insurance policy separately. This affords you far more than just ease of adjustment, and can actually save you a lot of money too!

Insurance companies work on statistics, and the probability that you will make a claim on your policy, combined with the expected dollar amount of those possible claims, determines the premium you will pay to carry the insurance contract. The same goes for an umbrella policy, but because the probability that you will file a claim totaling more than your policy limit is far lower than the probability that you will file a smaller, more average sized claim, the premium that you pay for the same coverage in an excess policy will be less than the premium you would have paid increasing the limits of your underlying policies. Essentially, the excess policy is far less likely to be used, given that the underlying policy must exhaust all of its limits prior its use.

If you have any questions regarding your specific case, contact a Fairfield personal injury lawyer at The Choyce Law Firm today.

Individuals can carry excess policies with their underlying policy carriers, or they can carry umbrella policies with a completely different insurer. This can make it difficult to find all of the applicable insurance that a liable party carries, which could mean an individual involved in an accident will not receive all of the compensation that they deserve. Personal injury case payouts are often limited by the amount of insurance the liable party carries, and it is imperative that the attorneys you hire for your case are experts in finding the applicable insurance limits that will maximize your injury compensation.

The personal injury attorneys at this law firm have been fighting the insurance companies for years and are experts in the field. Call us for a free consultation today!

Personal Injury Attorney in Fairfield Helps Victims of Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Car Accidents

Car accidents are already a very stressful and difficult time for anyone to go through. If you were involved in an accident, suffered severe injuries, high medical bills, lost wages at work and property damage, the person at fault should be obligated to pay for it. However, imagine, if the other person who was at fault, didn’t have any insurance!

California has a mandatory insurance law, mandating everyone to have automobile insurance if they plan on driving a motorized vehicle on public roads. Unfortunately, many irresponsible motorists remain on the road without any automobile insurance.Resulting in an inability to pay for damages when being at fault of an accident. Even though the law requires it, there are those who are uninsured or underinsured and it’s important you contact a personal injury attorney in Fairfield for legal help immediately if you’ve been a victim of an underinsured motorist accident.

What to do if you’re hit by an uninsured motorist in California

There are around 4.1 million drivers in California that are uninsured! Meaning, half of all accidents in California may involve at least one uninsured or underinsured motorist. The first thing you need to do if you’ve been involved in any type of accident, is seek medical attention if you’ve been hurt badly. Next, you need to figure out if you carry uninsured motorist coverage, and if it applies to your case. An attorney would be best to give you advice here.

“Uninsured motorist” coverage refers to protection in the event that a negligent vehicle operator without any insurance at all causes injury to the person who owns that coverage. It provides the same type of protection in cases where a negligent person does not have enough of their own auto insurance coverage to pay for all of the damages sustained by the insured person who owns the underinsured motorist coverage.

Some things you need to know about uninsured motorist coverage:

• It will only provide you with coverage if you are not at fault for the accident
• Coverage can come from the same insurance company you use for your liability coverage
• A claim must be filed with your insurance company within two years
• Insurance companies are prohibited by law from offering less coverage and less protection than is required by California’s statute
• Protection is extended to the “insured” person, not just the vehicle. That means you are protected if you are hit while walking, riding a bicycle or motorcycle
• There are various exemptions to the law, but in the vast majority of situations, if you have uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, you will be protected against the negligent acts of those uninsured.

Make sure to contact an experienced personal injury attorney in Fairfield who can help you. Every case is different, and it requires legal representation for best compensation.

Think of these types of cases as any other case in which you would be suing someone for negligent behavior. If you’ve suffered substantial losses, you can be compensated for:

• Medical bills
• Loss of earnings
• Loss of earning capacity
• Daily suffering
• Physical injuries
• Emotional distress
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Contact a personal injury attorney in Fairfield immediately for help.

Fairfield Personal Injury Attorney Explains How to Deal With Insurance Companies

California has more laws to protect insurance policyholders than any other state in the country. Unfortunately, this does not necessarily stop insurance companies from doing whatever they can to limit payouts and increase profits. In order to have a decent chance of receiving the compensation to which you are entitled, it’s important to understand your rights and the procedures in dealing with an insurance company. Speak to a Fairfield personal injury attorney regarding your specific case.

The most important law to remember is that your insurance company is legally obligated to act in “good faith.” It has a duty to investigate, process, and deal with you fairly and to pay your claim fully, promptly and in your best interest. (more…)