Sarasota Hurricane Helene Insurance Claim Lawyer
Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida in September 2024 and was one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the region in years. More than two dozen people died or went missing in Florida, and property owners ended up suffering billions of dollars in damage. Insured Floridians breathed a sigh of relief because they had storm coverage—only to watch as insurance companies denied claims at an accelerated rate.
Call Geyer Fuxa Tyler today if you are preparing to submit a claim or are struggling with a denial. You can meet with a Sarasota Hurricane Helene insurance claim lawyer with our firm. We can get your claim back on track or appeal any denial.
Helene’s Damage by the Numbers
According to a December 2024 report from WWSB Tampa, the state has seen:
- 135,505 insurance claims related to Hurricane Helene.
- 60,843 claims for residential property damage.
- 59,258 claims for private passenger automobile damage.
- 4,342 claims for damage to commercial property.
- Nearly $2 billion in insurance losses—and climbing.
Alarmingly, many of these claims are being closed without payment to the insured. As of early December 2024, more than 35,000 claims were closed without payment—representing about 1 in 4 claims.
If your claim was denied, you should immediately reach out to an attorney. There are all sorts of reasons that claims are denied, including a failure to mitigate, uncovered losses, or delays when filing a claim. An insurer might also allege fraud or misrepresentation and deny a claim for those reasons.
What Steps Should You Take?
Hurricane Helene has upended lives. To make a claim, you should:
- Review your insurance contract to see if your loss is covered.
- Fully document the hurricane’s damage. Take pictures or video of the damage to your home. You should create an itemized list of damaged items, including the value of the item before the storm.
- Take steps to mitigate. You should have covered holes in the roof or boarded up broken windows soon after Helene left the area. You must take reasonable measures to keep damage from getting worse.
- Contact your insurance carrier as soon as possible to open a claim.
Don’t lose hope if you are initially denied. This is not the end of the road. Some denials are valid, but many insurers are going over claims with a magnifying glass to find any reason to reject it. These companies are eager to protect their bottom line and sometimes go too far by denying meritorious insurance claims.
You typically get a right to appeal. However, you should work closely with a seasoned lawyer to build an appeal the correct way. You must do more than express disappointment that your claim was denied. Instead, you need convincing evidence that your claim was valid.
Call the Sarasota Hurricane Helene Insurance Claim Lawyers at Geyer Fuxa Tyler
A Sarasota Hurricane Helene insurance claim lawyer can help anyone who is preparing to make a claim or haggling with an insurance carrier to get their claim approved. Our firm also has deep experience with appeals. All policyholders should be treated fairly by insurance carriers.