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In February 2021, a winter storm hit Texas that dropped temperatures in some areas to as low as 3 degrees. If your insurance company has denied or underpaid your claim for damage from the 2021 Texas freeze, there is still time to recover your full insurance benefits. It’s time to speak with a Texas storm damage attorney.
What are your rights when you bring a claim for unpaid storm damage? What steps can you take if your insurance company has denied or underpaid your storm damage claim? Can you sue the insurance company? When should you seek the advice and services of a Texas winter storm damage lawyer?
If you’ll keep reading this brief discussion of storm damage claims and your rights, you will learn the answers to these questions, but if your own claim for damage from the 2021 Texas freeze has been denied or handled improperly by your insurance company, arrange at once to speak with a Texas storm damage lawyer.
How Severe Was the 2021 Texas Freeze?
Those who endured it will no doubt remember the February 2021 Texas freeze for the rest of their lives. By February 15th, more than 3.6 million Texas homes and businesses were without power. Temperatures dropped to 13 degrees in Houston and to 9 degrees in San Antonio.
Almost 15 million people in this state were forced to boil water before drinking or cooking with it. More than 69 percent of Texans were without power for an average of 42 hours.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the February 2021 Texas freeze was responsible for 246 fatalities. Damages caused by the winter storm were estimated to be at least $195 billion, making it the most expensive natural disaster in the history of our state.
Has Your Freeze Damage Claim Been Denied or Handled Improperly?
While the February 2021 Texas freeze was a nightmare for millions of people in Texas, almost two years later, many Texas property owners are still trying to obtain payouts from insurance companies that are rejecting or trying to underpay their property damage claims. There is still time to recover money owed to you.
Throughout the state, property owners are still trying to get paid from these claims that insurance companies have been denying or underpaying on these property damage claims based on broken pipes, flooding, water damage, and other serious damage caused by the historic winter storm.
If your home or business suffered property damage caused by the 2021 Texas freeze, and if you still haven’t been paid enough to fix the damages, regarding your freeze-related property damage claim, put your case in the hands of an expert Texas storm damage attorney as quickly as possible.
What Steps Can a Property Owner Take?
According to WFAA in Dallas, from 60 to 70 percent of the storm damage claims filed by homeowners in some Texas communities have been denied. Many who had property damage – and who presumably had insurance coverage – are paying out-of-pocket for their damages.
If your insurance company has denied your property damage claim arising from the 2021 Texas freeze, take these steps:
- Gather all documentation of your losses and damages with photos and/or video.
- Ask your insurance company to explain in writing why your claim was denied or not paid in full.
- Ask a Texas storm damage attorney for personalized advice about your legal options.
After the 2021 Texas freeze, too many insurance companies have rejected property damage claims – or refuse to pay what those claims are worth – and that is making it hard for many businesses and families in Texas to recover from the 2021 storm and to repair their damages.
What is Insurance Bad Faith?
Avoiding payouts and underpaying claims is how insurance companies increase their profits. An insurance company may try to minimize your damages, may claim that the damages were partially your fault, or may accuse you of exaggerating the amount and extent of your damages.
Do not let your insurance company abuse you or practice what the law in Texas calls “insurance bad faith.” If your insurance company has not taken its obligations to you seriously, you may have sufficient grounds for filing a lawsuit against the company – an insurance bad faith lawsuit.
If you live in Texas, and if your insurance company isn’t meeting its obligations to you, promptly discuss your situation with a Texas winter storm damage lawyer. The reasons why you may sue an insurance company for bad faith include failures to:
- negotiate your property damage claim in a reasonable manner
- investigate your claim seriously
- explain why your claim was denied
- either pay or deny your claim within a reasonable period of time
- offer you a settlement that approximates your claim’s actual value
Are You a Victim of Insurance Bad Faith?
Insurance companies are in business to make profits. When an insurance company faithfully meets its contractual obligations to policyholders, it should earn profits, but an insurance company should never be allowed to put profits above the legitimate claims of policyholders.
How can you know if you are a target of insurance bad faith related to the February 2021 Texas freeze? You will need to consult a storm damage attorney who will investigate both your claim and your insurance company.
But if an insurance company is making excuses, ignoring your calls, or giving you “the brush-off,” and the company still has not paid your property damage claim from the 2021 Texas freeze, that insurance company is almost certainly operating in bad faith.
What Else Do Texas Property Owners Need to Know?
If you’ve sustained freeze-related property damage, your first consultation with an attorney is provided with no obligation and free of charge. If you do hire our law firm you will never pay anything out of your own pocket; attorney’s fees are not earned unless and until you receive a payout from the insurance company for your freeze-related property damage claim. But here is the best part, your insurance company will pay your attorney’s fees for you. Call us to find out how.
If a court finds that your insurance company has operated in bad faith, that court may order the company to pay your lawyer’s fee along with the full amount of your claim.
If you are still disputing with your insurance company about the 2021 Texas freeze, schedule a consultation now with a Texas storm damage attorney, and let that attorney fight on your behalf for the payout you need and for the justice you deserve.
Finally, if you sustained property damage in the 2021 Texas freeze and you have not yet filed a property damage claim with your insurance company, contact a Texas storm damage lawyer at once to find out if you still have time to file a claim. Having a good lawyer’s help is your right.
