With the stormy season upon us here in Miami, the likelihood that you will need to file an insurance claim for damage caused by a hurricane or thunderstorm go up by the day. Insurance is supposed to give you peace of mind, and for that reason, any of your claims that get denied by the insurance company are all the more infuriating. It’s a common enough story. In the past 15 years, insurance companies have paid out more than $450 billion for damage done to property that is covered under their policies. Now that the numbers are in, those companies are trying to minimize their losses by looking for more ways to deny policyholders’ claims. Whether by finding legal loopholes or by simply rewriting policies to contain more claim exclusions, your insurance company has the advantage when it comes to winning a legal battle. What that means for policyholders is a repair bill that could lead to bankruptcy. Instead of being caught off guard when your insurance company refuses to repair your property after the next big storm, use these tips to get prepared: Document Your Property With today’s technology, it is so easy to document your property for insurance …
You’ve been in a Slip and Fall Accident. Now What?
You think something like this will never happen to you, at least, not until you’re dealing with the hospital bills, the missed work, and the pain. Slip and fall accidents might not seem like they can do a lot of damage—we’ve all fallen before, especially as kids. However, it doesn’t take that much force to cause a sprain, a strain, or even a broken bone, all of which can develop into serious health issues in the future. If you experience a slip and fall accident, you may find yourself asking “now what?” You aren’t alone. What many don’t realize is that their misfortune is often the direct result of someone else’s carelessness or negligence, a fact that can help ensure that you aren’t left to deal with the consequences by yourself. Here’s what you can do if you’ve been in a slip and fall accident: Determine Whether Negligence Is a Factor Some accidents are unavoidable. However, stores and businesses have a responsibility to keep their premises reasonably safe. If you want to be compensated for your injury, you have to be able to prove two things: First, that negligence was involved. Second, that the negligence was at least partially responsible …
Are You Prepared for the Worst? 4 Common (Yet Crucial) Homeowners Insurance Policy Coverages
Whether you’re a first-time home buyer or you’re just shopping around, buying a new homeowners’ insurance policy can be confusing. Because not all policies are created equal, the choice you make could end up helping or hurting you in the event of an accident or disaster. However, with a little bit of knowledge about what common things most policies cover, you can make the choice that is right for you and your situation. Ready to get covered? Here are four things that most homeowners’ insurance policies will cover: Structure of the Home Coverage for the structure of your home is what most people think of when homeowners’ insurance comes up. That’s because it is the most important part of any policy. To figure out how much coverage you need for the structure of your home, you need to estimate the value of your home—not just the mortgage amount, but the current value (it may have appreciated since you bought it), and perhaps even the cost of rebuilding your home if the worst should happen. In Miami, we know all too well the damage that catastrophic storms can cause to our homes. Unfortunately, when storms like Hurricane Matthew come to town, …
Insurance Denied My Claim. Now What?
If your insurance company denies your claim, is there anything more you can do? A good number of victims feel stranded when the insurance company says no. But take heart as it is certainly not over at that point. Remember that an insurance company is a business with a profit motive and if they can find a way to deny your claim it will help their financial performance. They will certainly interpret the language of the policy to their advantage. Your insurance company may deny your claim for one or more of the following reasons: A policy exclusion, for example the policy doesn’t cover that category of loss The claim wasn’t filed within a particular time limit The incident happened outside of your policy coverage dates However, when they do deny your claim they must provide you with a reason. They must also notify you of your right to challenge a claims decision as failure to do so waives other rights they have in the policy. There are times when an insurance company may not act in good faith. We have seen cases of insurance companies who have wrongfully cancelled a policy, raised premiums after a claim, delayed payment without …
Should I Call An Attorney After A Bicycle Accident?
As our Miami roads swell with traffic by the day, so do bicycle accident fatalities. More and more people are embracing a healthy lifestyle, leading to the increased number of cyclists on the road. This past January a driver struck two cyclists on Key Biscayne, killing one, as he briefly took his attention from the road to change a song on his phone. A week earlier a drunk driver plowed into a group of 20 cyclists on that same road, striking and injuring 4 of them. Two hours later yet another cyclist was struck in front of MAST Academy. LAST YEAR, A TOTAL OF 120 CYCLISTS WERE KILLED IN FLORIDA WITH MANY MORE SERIOUSLY INJURED. THREE TIMES MORE CYCLISTS DIE IN FLORIDA THAN THE NATIONAL RATE. For all its beauty, Miami is simply not a bicycle friendly city. Our wide and fast roads, aggressive drivers, endless construction and lack of connected bike paths make this a challenging city to ride. Getting from point A to point B on a bike in this town typically involves crossing busy streets, navigating around obstacles and riding on streets without a marked bike lane or path. With the Venetian Causeway closed for construction, anyone …