Local Disasters

After a natural disaster, homeowners and business owners often face significant challenges when dealing with insurance claims. Many accept initial payouts from their insurers only to find later that the compensation is insufficient to fully cover the damages. Brent Coon, a triple board-certified attorney in personal injury trial law, civil trial law, and civil discovery trial law, who has recovered over a billion dollars for disaster victims, offers critical advice on how to avoid this pitfall and protect your recovery.

Coon, a Gulf Coast native with firsthand experience in construction, warns that storm damage assessments, especially from hurricanes and floods, may miss hidden or "latent" damages. Once an insurance offer is accepted, it’s typically final, leaving little recourse for uncovered damages discovered during the repair process. To prevent this, he recommends the following steps to ensure you’re fully compensated.

1. Understand Your Insurance Policies
   Insurance policies can vary significantly, particularly along the Gulf Coast. Coon advises homeowners and business owners to thoroughly understand what their policy covers, as many policies are tailored to specific risks:
   • Windstorm Insurance: Covers damage from hurricanes or severe winds.
   • Flood Insurance: Covers damage from rising waters or flooding.
   • Combination Insurance: Covers both wind and water damage.
   • Business Interruption Insurance: Covers losses incurred from being unable to operate due to storm damage.

   Coon stresses that it’s crucial to know what type of policy you have and how it applies to your property, especially for businesses that may overlook the benefits of business interruption coverage. Many business owners, focused on reopening, miss out on claims that could help them recover financially from operational downtime.

2. Work with Your Insurance Agent and Adjuster
   Once you have a clear understanding of your policies, contact your insurance agent to begin the claims process. In many cases, adjusters will assess your property’s damage. However, Coon warns about working with "storm chasers"—adjusters who are hired temporarily to assist with disaster recovery. While storm chasers help insurers manage their workload, they may be more focused on their future work with the company than on getting a fair assessment for you. These adjusters often underestimate the extent of the damage, which can leave you under-compensated.
3. Evaluate the Adjuster's Offer and Consider Legal Counsel
   If you’re unsure whether the insurance settlement will cover all your damages, consult with an experienced attorney. A lawyer with expertise in disaster-related insurance claims can assess whether the offer is adequate based on your damages. Coon emphasizes that if the difference between the offer and the actual damages is substantial—often 50% or more—retaining legal counsel is essential.

In cases where there is a significant disparity between the insurer’s offer and the damages, Coon notes that insurance companies are more likely to settle once they understand a lawyer is involved. “The good news is that in many of these storm cases, we’ve seen favorable settlements even before going to trial,” Coon says.

When you work with Brent Coon & Associates, you gain a trusted partner with a long history of success in disaster-related insurance claims. We have the resources and legal knowledge to tackle even the most complex cases, and we operate on a contingency fee basis, so you only pay if we win your case.

Insurance companies know us for our courtroom experience, and we leverage that reputation to secure fair settlements for our clients. Don’t let insurers undervalue your claim—let us fight for the compensation you deserve.