Hurricane Harvey, besides being a major human catastrophe, is on its way to becoming one of the most costly natural disasters in history, experts estimate that the material losses that insurance companies will have to cover for Harvey will be around 25-30 billion dollars
If forecasts are true, Harvey will be the third most expensive hurricane for the insurance sector after Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012.
Many thousands of Texans were affected. The cleanup and recovery process will take months, if not years. Unfortunately for most of those affected, insurance is expected to cover only about 30 percent of the total losses. Affected individuals have to use some of their own resources and some can’t afford it.
In the context of how this affects potential injury claims, whether they stem from Harvey or not, there are two items to keep in mind:
1. Insurance companies are now processing hundreds of thousands of claims, which has created a backlog, as a result, and many of these insurers may be tempted to cut a few corners, including trying to settle claims inexpensively.
2. There is a backlog in Harris County on personal injury claims. The Harris county criminal courthouse is shut down indefinitely and judges, trials, and criminal hearings have been moved over to the Harris County Civil Courthouse. The Civil Courthouses are now handling both civil and criminal cases now with the criminal courts taking precedence and priority. This pushes back a lot of trial settings and hearings significantly.
So the effect is that some claims may work slower during this time because the insurance companies are under no pressure, necessarily, to settle claims any quicker.
There is no necessity to fall into an insurance company providing you with a false sense of inability to provide reasonable and adequate compensation during these times.
Why should I contact an attorney to help with my claim?
The most important reason to hire an experienced attorney is that your claim will be presented in the light most favorable to you so that the insurance company is given the correct and proper information to process your claim.
You could unknowingly jeopardize your claim and lose benefits to which you are entitled to if not having an experienced legal team by your side. Some people usually choose not to make small claims that are worth less than their deductibles; however, these claims could be worth several, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In other cases, the insurance company may act in bad faith avoiding paying a claim for which they are contractually obligated.
An experienced attorney will act solely on your behalf, having your best interests in mind, and will do everything possible to maximize your claim.
Protect your rights and jump start your recovery. Let the legal team of P&M Law help you maximize the value of your claim so that you are fully reimbursed for any losses.