Question: Snow damage and insurance in Mobile, AL. Now what?
JASON: Never filed for snow damage? Well, neither have many of your neighbors here in Mobile and Baldwin Counties.
The first thing to know is that snow damage coverage is like any other disaster coverage… just colder. So, for most home and auto insurance, you file a claim as you do for wind, rain, and other severe weather destruction.
One critical piece of information to keep in mind is that the weight of snow can cause damage to your roof and other parts of your home. I recommend checking your deck, porch, and other areas that typically don’t bear much weight.
Now, your car might be a whole other matter.
Alabama has a law that says you cannot collect on your accident if you are even 1% at fault. Did you take your car for a spin … and spin into a tree? The insurance company can say your lack of brake pumping skill contributed to the damage. Also, just going out when you know the roads are bad could be that 1%. Remember my major piece of advice about traffic accidents in Alabama: Never Admit Fault.
Insurance companies in our state are so bad about trying to prove contributory negligence (a legal term meaning you contributed to the risk that led to the accident) that one Alabama lawyer slept in his office during the snowstorm rather than trying to get home. He said he knew his insurance provider would blame him if he had trouble.
One other piece of advice. File your claim yourself. If you haven’t received your money in a few months or the amount is too small, that is when you need to see a lawyer. From my experience, that day will come for at least some of us here on the Gulf Coast.
We help people who are hurt in all types of accidents. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call us. The call will cost you nothing. We are proud to be called “the lawyers near me” in and around Tillmans Corner.
Jason Steele
Personal Injury Attorney in Mobile, AL
Talk to me for free at (251) 666-1212.