Heavy rainfall in the months following a wildfire can destabilize hillsides causing devastating mudslides. Homeowners and residents are almost always forced to evacuate due to the power and peril that accompanies a mudslide.
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers represents those who were evacuated or suffered property damage or injury due to a mudslide following a California Wildfire event.
Lawsuits are filed against the defendants who caused the wildfire, and mudslide claims are part of the demand for compensation.
Vegetation on hillsides usually holds soil in place, protecting it from heavy rain and letting water have more time to soak into the soil. However, when vegetation is destroyed by fire, there’s nothing left to prevent soil from flowing down a hill, and the soil can actually repel water, leading to a river of mud and debris forming.
California law holds utilities like PG&E and SoCal Edison responsible for any damages caused by fires they start, and this also applies to damages caused by mudslides that are the result of fires they start.
Our legal team of wildfire attorneys do not charge a legal fee for our services unless or until a recovery is made.
If you or a loved one was impacted by a mudslide following a wildfire in California, contact our wildfire lawyers now for a free consultation to discuss your damages, injuries, losses and eligibility for compensation.
What Kinds Of Mudslide Damages Can I Recover?
You may be eligible to recover damages and losses from all defendants responsible for the fire that caused the mudslide, including:
- Damage to your home and structures
- Damage to household items
- Damage to vegetation and landscaping
- Damage to commercial agriculture
- Erosion or loss of land
- Injury or death
- The costs of living in a temporary residence or hotel after being evacuated
- Additional costs associated with temporary living after being evacuated
- Lost wages and business income while you’re unable to work
- Emotional distress, such as disturbance, fear and anguish as a result of evacuation
Do I Need A Lawyer If I Have Insurance?
Your insurance may have an Alternative Living Expense Allowance which can help compensate you if you’ve lost your home in or have been forced to evacuate due to a mudslide. However, this allowance doesn’t last forever.
Other issues may pop up for you as well. For example, the cost of building materials may be much higher than when you obtained your policy, so you may find your policy won’t cover the cost of replacing a home you have lost in a mudslide. Your insurance policy may also not cover things such as priceless photographs or lost wages. The California wildfire attorneys at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers and its legal teams have represented thousands of Californians for wildfire and mudslide claims throughout the state.
Call us for a free consultation, and we can advise you about what you may be eligible to recover, which can help to cover mudslide damages or other coverages that were not included in your insurance coverage.
Mudslides are explicitly excluded from many homeowners’ insurance policies, so you may find your mudslide insurance claim being denied by your insurance company. However, California’s Efficient Proximate Cause Doctrine holds insurance companies responsible for compensating policyholders when an uncovered disaster was actually primarily caused by a covered cause, such as when a mudslide, which the insurance policy doesn’t cover, is mostly caused by a fire, which the insurance policy does cover.
Our California mudslide attorneys and our team of experts including engineers, arborists and more will fight to prove that the recent wildfire sufficiently destabilized the soil, causing a mudslide to occur.
What If I’m Uninsured Or Underinsured?
If you don’t have insurance, we will recover damages from all possible defendants to compensate you for your loss. If you have insurance, like most Californians you’re likely underinsured, and your damages will likely greatly exceed your policy limits. We will fight to recover from the defendant(s) any damages that your insurance policy fails to cover.
What If I’m A Renter?
We can still recover evacuation-related damages from the defendant(s) for you if you’re a renter, in addition to any personal property lost in a mudslide such as clothing, cookware, furniture and more.
California Utility Companies Can Be Held Responsible For The Mudslides
PG&E and SoCal Edison can be liable for damages if their negligence causes a wildfire to ignite. They can be held liable for damages caused by the wildfire and any resulting mudslides caused by the wildfire’s soil destablization.
Several California laws ensure A Utility Company’s Liability For Mudslides:
- California Public Resources Code § 4293 requires utilities to make sure vegetation stays at least four feet from power lines.
- Public Utilities Code § 2106 holds utilities such as PG&E and SoCal Edison are liable for any damages caused by their violation of laws.
- California Health & Safety Code § 13007 holds anyone who negligently lets a fire escape onto someone else’s property liable for any damages caused by the fire.
- Article 1, § 19 of the California Constitution states that just compensation must be paid to the owner of any property damaged for public use, and California courts have ruled that this applies to utilities who start fires under the concept of inverse condemnation.
Our mudslide attorneys and legal teams will fight to hold defendant(s) responsible for any damages, injuries, losses and evacuation costs resulting from mudslides triggered by the Wildfire.
Experienced California Mudslide Lawyers
The lawyers at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers have been helping Californians recover from injuries and disasters since 1990. Our legal teams have previously represented victims of the Montecito Mudslides against Southern California Edison. We have represented families impacted by all of the major California wildfires since 2011. We have an extensive team of fire science experts and resources to hold California utilities responsible for damages caused by mudslides following a related wildfire.
We do not charge a legal fee for our representation unless or until a recovery is made. Our only fee is a percentage of any recovery obtained. You will never owe us any out of pocket money for our services.
Call us today at (800) 718-4658 for a free consultation if you or a loved one was evacuated or suffered property damage or injury due to mudslides caused by a California Wildfire.
