TORNADO DAMAGE INSURANCE CLAIMS

While Florida and “Tornado Alley” in the south-central United States have a higher frequency of tornadoes than the rest of the United States, tornadoes can and do occur over much of the country. Tornado alley generally refers to the region from central Texas to northern Iowa, and from central Kansas and Nebraska all the way to Western Ohio. This region is ideally situated for the formation of supercell thunderstorms, which often produce strong to violent tornadoes (EF-3 or stronger). Texas has been hit hard by tornadoes the last couple of years, resulting in millions of dollars in property damage to home and businesses. Most recently, the damages from the May 16, 2024 windstorm event in Houston with over 100+ MPH winds are currently predicted to be $5-$7 billion. The Houston storm that resembled an EF-1 tornado was ruled to be a derecho, a widespread, long-lived windstorm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms that produces wind damage along a path length of at least 240 miles. The recorded damages were remarkably similar to the impact from Hurricane Ike in 2008, according to AccuWeather.

The Tornado insurance claim lawyers at Lundquist Law Firm have assisted commercial and residential policyholders with their tornado insurance claims for over 20 years in Texas, among other states. If your insurance company has delayed, denied, or underpaid your tornado insurance claim, we may be able to help you. Insurance companies, even with total loss claims, can unreasonably delay the handling of a tornado insurance claim in order to pressure the insured into accepting a below-market settlement of the claim. Your insurance carrier may also deny or underpay a tornado claim on the basis that any tornado damages noted occurred as a result of another storm which pre-dated the current insurer’s policy period (such defense arguments are typically raised where the insured had a different insurance company for the cited prior loss date).

Tornado Damage Insurance Policies

Tornadoes can be violent, unexpected, and catastrophic. In fact, tornadoes are the most violent type of atmospheric storm. According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the United States is hit with about 1,200 tornadoes each year. Tornadoes cause damage because of strong winds, with wind speeds that can reach 300 mph in some of the more violent storms. The pure force that tornado winds create can rip homes, businesses, and other structures to shreds. Some tornadoes are even powerful enough to tear asphalt from the ground. These storms often leave innocent insurance policyholders without a home or business. If your property, whether it is your home or business, was devastated by the brute force of a tornado, the Houston and Dallas tornado damage attorneys of Lundquist Law Firm are here to help.

You likely purchased insurance coverage with the intent to protect your commercial property or home from these violent windstorms. Often, policies that cover damage caused by the violent winds of a tornado can come under several labels on your policy, including hurricane, storm, tornado, windstorm, cyclone, or weather insurance. Whatever the label, your insurance company may try to exclude coverage. This might even be the case if you have purchased an all-risks insurance policy. Often times, if an insurance policy’s rigid deadlines and conditions are not followed, you can jeopardize your rights to recover the money you need to repair your home or business. Insurance companies will occasionally drag out disputes, hoping the property owner will give up or miss the statute of limitations deadline.

Why Choose Lundquist Law Firm?

All of our attorneys previously defended carriers in these exact types of disputes. Unlike most firms, this is all we do—our entire practice is dedicated to helping policyholders get the just compensation they deserve for their properties following storms. Indeed, for over 20 years, we have helped policyholders with their tornado damage claims, collecting over $100 million in confidential settlements from carriers for our clients. Additionally, as a smaller firm, we offer greater attention to detail and a hands-on approach. No matter how solid your claim, insurance companies will always look to protect themselves and try to avoid paying you what you are owed. We are a nationally recognized bad faith insurance litigation law firm that is familiar with the tactics insurance companies often use to deny claims. Our attorneys counter with successful strategies, including hiring professional roofing inspectors and engineers to fully inspect the nature of the damage to find clear, physical evidence of property damage covered under the specific terms of your policy. This allows us to have a detailed, comprehensive estimate of the real damage to your property and how much we should seek in claim compensation on your behalf. Our use of professional experts, contractors, and engineers sets us apart from other insurance litigation firms. We approach each case as though it is going to trial, not just settlement, appraisal or mediation.

Want your lawyers to have a proven track record? Since 2017, in addition to our co-counsel, we are the only law firm who successfully went to trial on a commercial property insurance claim against any insurance company stemming from a denied Hurricane Harvey claim—obtaining a record-setting verdict in the process. The final judgment was entered by the judge for over $4.200,000, which TopVerdict determined to be the #1 Texas verdict against any insurance company in 2020. 

How Our Firm Can Help

At Lundquist Law Firm, we are experienced in dealing with insurance company defense tactics and know how to fight back on behalf of policyholders by confirming weather history for the affected property, thoroughly documenting the existing damages, obtaining and reviewing previous property inspection reports (including inspections performed by the insurance company as part of their underwriting process), and hiring qualified causation, damages, and insurance bad faith experts to prove your case in court against the insurance company. If you decide to contest your insurance company’s coverage decision, they will spend whatever it takes to hire their own attorneys and experts to defeat your claim. If the insurer’s conduct has been particularly inappropriate, you may have a bad faith action against the insurer depending on the state. For recovery under your policy, and for bad faith litigation, it is important that you have experienced tornado damage attorneys on your side. Lundquist Law Firm will fight the insurance companies on your behalf and ensure that your insurance claims are honored. Please call us today at (346) 704-5295.

We work on a contingency-fee basis, which means you owe us nothing if we are unsuccessful. And we handle tornado claims prior to litigation at a significantly reduced fee. We also front the case expenses necessary to combat the insurance company in litigation. We promise to aggressively pursue your rights under the insurance policy if your tornado claim was delayed, underpaid, or denied. Of note, the Texas Department of Insurance has found that engaging the services of an advocate increases an insured’s payment on a property insurance claim by an average of 308%.*

Contact a Tornado Damage Insurance Claims Lawyer

If your business or home was damaged and your tornado insurance claim is being denied, underpaid, or put on hold, contact the tornado damage insurance claim lawyers of Lundquist Law Firm. Challenging an insurance company can be intimidating, but our experienced lawyers are committed to helping clients fight for compensation. For more information and a skilled assessment of your claim, contact us today by calling (346) 704-5295 or send an email using the Contact Us below.