Boat insurance does often cover hurricane damages and losses, but it is important to know the details of your insurance policy. Your insurer may be financially responsible for damage caused by wind, rain, and debris. Considering the substantial cost of most boats, you may be entitled to a large financial recovery.
Interpreting insurance policies and obtaining fair compensation is not always easy for boat owners. Don’t struggle to accurately value your losses and fight the insurer for a fair settlement. Allow a Boca Raton hurricane damage claim lawyer to hold insurers to the terms of their policies.
Damage a Boat Insurance Policy May Cover
While boats are made to brave the rough seas, hurricanes may present hazards that even the sturdiest boats may succumb to. Your insurance company must provide fair compensation based on the boat insurance you’ve purchased, which may include coverage of:
- Damage to the boat’s body: Any damage to the boat’s hull, lights, or other fixed structures should entitle you to compensation for repairs. These may be among the costliest repairs, as the boat’s body must be in pristine structural condition to ensure its seaworthiness.
- Damage to the boat’s engine or other critical components: The cost of repairing or replacing damaged engines may depend on the type of damaged engine, the number of engines on the boat, the age of the engine, and the nature of the damage.
- Damage to electronics: If any of the boat’s electrical components were damaged from rain, wind, or debris, we will include repair or replacement costs in your claim.
- Sinking: If hurricane conditions caused your boat to sink or become partially submerged, insurance may cover removal and necessary repairs.
- Total damage: If hurricane-related conditions caused total damage to your boat, you may receive the maximum allotted compensation to go towards a new boat (or you may simply be reimbursed for the total loss).
Every instance of hurricane damage is unique, as are the details of your vessel. A hurricane damage claim attorney from our team will work with qualified boat repair professionals to value your losses and seek fair compensation through insurance.
Do I Need a Lawyer to Handle a Boat Insurance Claim?
Many policyholders determine that they need an attorney to seek fair compensation from insurers because:
Boat-Related Damages Can Be Difficult to Calculate
Boats are complex vessels, especially when it comes to diagnosing damage and estimated repair (or replacement) costs. Our firm provides:
- Attorneys who have dealt with many boat accident claims, particularly in hurricane-prone areas
- Experts specifically qualified to diagnose boat repairs (and related costs)
- A legal team that can manage every step of the claims process
- Financial support for your claim
Insurers may be overwhelmed with claims after a serious storm. Our law firm will press the insurance company to resolve your claim promptly so you can secure fair compensation and move forward.
Insurance Companies Do Not Always Offer Fair Compensation
Insurance companies work hard to protect their bottom lines. We will tackle any challenges that insurers place in our way, including:
- Allegations that you did not adequately protect your boat from damage
- Unfounded claims that you are not entitled to compensation (possibly including the denial of your claim)
- Attempts to cover some of your damages but not others
- Lowball settlement offers
- Claim delays
We understand the importance of receiving full compensation in a timely manner. Our team will lead your claim with urgency, demanding that the insurer honor the contract issued to you.
Some Boat Owners Have Not Dealt with Insurers Before
Many boat insurance policyholders do not have to access their insurance coverage before a hurricane, tropical storm, or a similar disaster causes significant damage. This means they may lack experience:
- Documenting and calculating boat-related damage
- Recognizing bad-faith tactics by insurers
- Negotiating fair financial settlements
- Balancing the demands of their daily life with the time-consuming obligations of a hurricane damage claim
Many policies recognize that such inexperience can be a detriment when seeking compensation for boat repairs and replacement of totally damaged property. Therefore, they choose to let an attorney with a proven track record lead their claim.
Policy Holders Want to Ensure a Fair Financial Recovery
Those who hire a lawyer, above all else, want to ensure they receive fair compensation for hurricane-related losses. If you believe our firm’s experience and resources could be a credit to your claim, that is reason enough to hire us.
Be Wary of the Insurance Company’s Initial Settlement Offer for a Damaged Boat
Too often, those with damaged property receive an enticing offer from an insurance company. However, you must recognize that insurance companies are protecting their financial interests and that even a large settlement offer can be an unfair settlement offer.
Before you accept any settlement for your damaged vessel, you should:
- Commission a qualified boat repair technician to evaluate all storm-related damage
- Collect multiple repair estimates to be certain you are seeking enough compensation from the insurance company
- Document damage in great detail as soon as possible after the hurricane
- Complete multi-step calculations to ensure your settlement demands are accurate
- Negotiate tenaciously to secure the best possible settlement offer from the insurer
We will take these steps on your behalf. Our firm never advises a client to accept a settlement offer unless we are certain that the offer is fair.
A Boat Insurance Claim Lawyer Will Seek Full Coverage of Your Losses
Our boat damage claim lawyers understand:
- How to read and analyze insurance policies
- How to document and calculate interior and exterior damage to boats
- Which experts to hire when handling a hurricane damage claim related to a boat
- How to deal with insurance companies
- Various negotiating tactics that may produce a fair financial recovery for the client
Our team will value all of your property losses accurately. We will demand fair compensation from your insurance company.
Call Ged Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation After Hurricane Damage to Your Boat
Ged Lawyers has served clients for many years, so we have seen our fair share of hurricane-related claims. Allow our dedicated legal team to value your losses and fight for a fair insurance settlement.
Call Ged Lawyers today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation about how we can assist you.
