Insurance comes in many forms and serves many different purposes. An Oklahoma resident may have health insurance, homeowners’ insurance, and car insurance to protect their different interests. When something happens and they must file a claim, they may expect to receive a payment from their insurance company.
One form of insurance that not all individuals may hold is earthquake insurance. Though earthquakes are more common on the West Coast, Oklahoma does experience shakes from time to time that can cause property damage and personal injuries. When a regional earthquake damages a structure, a policy holder may seek payment on their claim to make necessary repairs.
This post will generally discuss earthquake insurance and what individuals can do when their claims are denied. This post is not legal advice. Any reader with insurance denial or dispute questions can contact their trusted insurance law attorneys.
What should earthquake insurance cover?
Earthquake insurance can be limited to covering certain costs associated with losses from an earthquake. Generally, these policies will cover the costs of repairs that earthquakes cause to real and personal property. They may also cover the expenses a claimant incurs from finding a different place to live while their home is repaired. The terms of different insurance policies can be different and so it is important that individuals are familiar with their own policies’ terms.
Why might an earthquake insurer deny a policy holder’s claim?
Denied earthquake insurance claims can have different grounds. A claim may fall outside of the categories mentioned above, or a claimed item may be covered by a different form of insurance. For example, if a car is damaged by an earthquake, an earthquake insurance policy may not pay out because the auto insurance policy for the vehicle would have to fill the claim.
Often, though, earthquake insurance claims are denied because insurers allege that the claimed damage is not earthquake-caused. An earthquake may trigger a water main break, which may flood a property can cause extensive damage. Though the earthquake caused the main to rupture, an insurer may allege that the water in fact caused the damage to the claimant’s property.
How to handle a denied insurance claim
It can be incredibly frustrating and emotionally draining to learn that one’s earthquake insurer has denied their claim after a natural disaster. A policy holder may examine the explanation of denial that they receive and be unsure of how to interpret its contents. When insurance is needed to become whole, individuals can turn to attorneys who handle denied claims for help.
The process of challenging an insurance claim denial can be lengthy and can involve the collection of additional evidence to prove one’s claim. There are not guarantees that insurance denials will be overturned, but attorneys who work in the insurance field can support the needs of their clients as they fight for the claims they need to have honored.