Thousands of Californians have been affected by the wildfires throughout the state. Some of the states largest wildfires have occurred since 2011, including the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire. After a wildfire, hundreds or thousands of people are injured, displaced from their homes and communities, and burdened with long-term financial issues.
If you are among those people, you can file an insurance claim for compensation for your and your family’s losses. Even if you already filed an insurance claim and are still waiting for your claim to resolve, your insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover all of your losses. The California Wildfire Legal Team at Nadrich Law can help you file a claim (or lawsuit), advance your claim, or appeal your claim and any resulting Wildfire Settlement.
How Do I File a California Wildfire Claim?
If you have property damage after a California Wildfire, you can file a claim through your home insurance provider if you have property damage. You will have to provide proof of your damages. You should speak with them about how to file your claim since they may have a particular process you must follow.
The insurance claim could help you recover much of your losses. However, you may be unable to recover all your losses, that’s where our wildfire attorneys can assist you.
An experienced California wildfire attorney can help you determine all your damages, list and valuate your damages and then gather proof of your damages. After that, your lawyer will file a wildfire claim on your behalf against the defendant(s).
Providing Proof of Your Damages
It is important to provide the insurer with proof or evidence of your property damages and any other damages you have, like any physical injuries. For example, you can give a list of your property and possessions to show your property damages or provide medical records to prove any physical injuries.
A Wildfire attorney from Nadrich Law can assist you with gathering proof and evidence. Your attorney can also acquire corroborating evidence, such as a statement from a medical expert, arborists and more.
Should I File a Claim Through A Utility Company Wildfire Compensation Plan?
You can file your claim through a compensation plan offered by the responsible utility company, but this may not provide the best outcome for your circumstances or needs. You are welcome to contact our office and speak with our attorneys for a free, confidential consultation. There is no obligation to hire us. During the consultation, we will learn more about your losses, damages and impact that the fire had on you and your family. Based on our assessment, we will advise you if your needs could be met by the offered compensation plan, or if filing a wildfire lawsuit would provide a better outcome for you and your family.
The company has an online portal that lets victims file claims for compensation through the company itself, but PG&E may devalue your claim, reducing your payout from them. A wildfire lawyer from our law firm can pursue a fair payout through other means, such as an insurance claim or lawsuit.
What Should I Do if My California Wildfire Claim Has Not Settled Yet?
Your claim could take several months or longer to resolve and settle, especially if you filed through a utility company compensation program. The company and many home insurers often delay in resolving claims, leaving many claimants with financial issues and piling debt.
You may not have to wait so long for your claim to resolve. One of our firm’s wildfire attorneys could help you collect additional evidence for your case and then submit this evidence for consideration.
What Should I Do if My Insurance Does Not Cover All My Losses?
Another issue many wildfire survivors face when dealing with their insurance company is that they may devalue and even ignore some of the claimant’s damages. Additionally, some insurance policies do not cover certain damages. In either case, a claimant’s settlement amount may be too low.
If you believe your settlement will be or is insufficient, you can try to appeal your claim and California Wildfire settlement on your own. However, if you are unable to do so, contact our office to speak with a wildfire attorney who can provide insight into how to best resolve a wildfire claim. A skilled wildfire lawyer can offer additional or corroborating evidence to support your case and fairly valuate your damages, so the insurer cannot ignore or devalue your claim.
Can I Sue A Utility Company For A California Wildfire?
Yes, individuals who suffered injuries, damages, losses or were under a mandatory evacuation order due to a fire that was determined to be caused by a utility company can file a claim against the culprit utility company, such as SoCal Edison or PG&E. You could sue them if you were under a mandatory evacuation order, suffered damages, or if your insurance does not cover all of your damages.
One of our firm’s California wildfire attorneys can assist you with your lawsuit. In your suit, we will allege negligence and support this with evidence, such as how the utility company failed to clear at-risk trees from high-risk power lines. We will also show how you are entitled to financial compensation from the responsible utility company.
What Damages Can I Claim in a California Wildfire Lawsuit?
In your insurance claim or a lawsuit, you or your attorney can claim any of the following damages and possibly more:
- The cost of repairing or replacing your home and property
- The costs of personal property
- Lost crops or livestock
- Harm done to your livestock
- Land value depreciation
- Business losses
- Lost wages
- Medical costs
- Emotional distress
- The cost of your evacuation
- Similar losses
Get Help Claiming a Settlement for a California Wildfire by Contacting Our Office Today
The California Wildfire attorneys from Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers have represented thousands of California Wildfire Survivors obtain recovery for injuries, losses, mandatory evacuation expenses, loss of use, business losses, destroyed or damaged property and more. Our legal team will provide a comprehensive, free consultation to discuss your needs and advise how we can assist you. Our wildfire attorneys and legal teams have represented clients against PG&E and SoCal Edison for all major wildfires caused by the negligence of the defendant utility company, including: Eaton, Camp, North Bay, Thomas, Woolsey, Butte, Zogg, Fairview, and Glass fires.
Your attorney can manage your claim or lawsuit while you handle other matters. To learn about what our attorneys will do to help you claim a California Wildfire settlement, contact us today for a free consultation and case review.
