Navigating Fire Damage Claims: Protecting Your Rights and Securing Compensation
A wildfire is a natural destructive hazard that causes severe devastation to everything it contacts with. Wildfires can occur anytime and anywhere and can destroy homes, infrastructure, natural resources, and vegetation. Fire can also cause property loss and damage, serious injuries, trauma, and even death.
The terror of the fire may cause many different hardships to you and your family such as health, financial, emotional, and even spiritual instability problems. It is painful to see all the things you’ve worked hard for several years to be burned in an instant; worst case scenario is that even your family may be gone. This may result in extreme emotional distress.
Regardless of how big or small the damage is, whether you lost your entire property and possessions or maybe just some of your appliances, you still deserve a full compensation for your losses and it is best to get it covered by an insurance company. However, if your insurance company refuses or underinsured you, you are absolutely entitled to get a lawyer to defend your claim.
Tips for Filing Fire Damage Claims
Fire litigation attorneys are not only qualified to handle fire damage lawsuits but are also the most reliable people to trust in this type of litigation. Fire damage lawyers will help you acquire compensation for damages such as smoke, water, and electrical damages to name a few no matter how minimal the damage is.
Things don’t come easy when filing fire damage claims. Below are things you must take note when filing the claim:
Date of loss
Type of loss or damage
Location of damage
Any related injuries
Others involved
The condition of the home
Description of damaged contents
Whether or not temporary repairs are necessary
A police/fire report
You can also make a written request to your insurance company for an advanced compensation for the basic necessities you need. The amount will be deducted from the total insurance claim you are bound to get.
It is important to list down everything you’ve lost in the fire and make sure to make this list as soon as possible to avoid any conflicts. No one wants to allege that some fabrication was going on. The plaintiff must also keep track of the living expenses as well as the value of the properties affected. It is important to show this to your insurance company for the reimbursement of your expenses. It also entitles you to your right to compensation.
What Can a Fire Damage Lawyer Do?
Fire damage victims will realize how shattering and costly the aftermath is. Rebuilding their lives after a fire is much more difficult than rebuilding their homes or retrieving their properties. Your home and properties must be covered by an insurance policy that would protect you at times of disasters. However, not all companies give the full compensation their clients deserve to obtain – sometimes undervalued, sometimes nothing at all. The compensation is given by these companies often are not enough to retrieve nor rebuild their properties, sometimes the client would just feel that the compensation given was some sort of a giveaway. At the end of the day, their number one priority isn’t their clients—it’s their profits.
Fire damage claims are often complex. Multiple parties can be held liable for causing a fire; on top of that, litigations can pile up. Often, government-owned companies are blamed in lawsuits like this. This is because they have the power to control such big utilities that often cause a fire to occur. And because these kinds of defendants have the full capacity to defend themselves, the plaintiffs might find it difficult to fight for their rights by themselves so it is only right to seek help from a legal professional who understands the process of these litigations.
A California fire damage lawyer will also tell you that you may claim a partial loss if the fire didn’t entirely damage your home; thus, be mindful of the unseen damages. A lawyer will also take note if your insurance company provides Replacement Cost Value (RVC) or Actual Cash Value (ACV) that offers a discount of a decrease in value. A lawyer will also tell you that a third party who damages a person’s “timbers, trees, or underwood” because of his or her negligence is responsible for 3 times the value of this vegetation (Cal. Civil Code 3346).
Seeking legal help from a qualified and experienced fire damage lawyer in California is the best way to avoid further conflicts. Fire damage lawyers handle such cases with utter protection to avoid any fault in the case. They also make sure that their clients get the compensation they deserve to get in the fairest way possible.
Who Should You Ask for Help?
When considering for professional legal advice in a fire damage case, choose the lawyers that have great litigation knowledge and skills and who is capable of defending his or her client as equitably as possible. Find the best lawyers who will fight for your compensation for your loss and instability as well as someone who can provide you some emotional support.
The California fire damage lawyers at Gomez Law, APC understand the financial as well as emotional distress of their clients. Our firm has a proven track record of success in fire damage litigations.
At Gomez Law, APC, our attorneys understand the impact that severe fire damage can have on a person’s life. We will handle your case professionally and efficiently while expressing our compassion and empathy. Gomez Law, APC lawyers have been fighting our clients’ rights for years. Our fire damage attorneys will provide you with a Free Consultation * to review your claim thoroughly and strategize and carry out the lawsuit.
If your property or you and your family have been damaged by fire, contact us for free legal consultation in pursuing compensation for your damages today.
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