Mississippi Insurance Dispute Lawyers Handling Hail Claims
Experienced advocacy for Mississippi policyholders when hail causes damage
Hailstorms occur in Mississippi – usually during intense thunderstorms. Hail strikes can cause damage to a broad range of property including, roofing, siding, windows, soft-metal exterior components, HVAC units, and other components. Damage can also occur over time as the hail strikes roof coverings causing them to fracture, bruise, dent, lose granules, or otherwise deteriorate, which can cause leaks that may take weeks or months to discover. Repairing or replacing a roof is oftentimes cost-prohibitive for most homeowners unless they have insurance. At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, we help property owners (home and business) identify the extent of roof and other property damage and assist in valuing the cost of repairs or replacement. Our Mississippi hail damage lawyers are skilled at negotiating insurance claims, trying your case before arbitrators, and taking insurance companies to court who fail to make reasonable settlement offers.
How can we help?
Does Hail Really Fall In Mississippi?
One example of the type of hail that can fall in Mississippi occurred on December 21, 2023, when baseball-sized hail in Mississippi reportedly caused drivers to look for cover. According to Fox43, a 5-inch wide “monster” hail struck Mississippi in January 2023. Fox43 explained that “strong thunderstorm updrafts allow hail to form.” The size of hail depends on the strength of updrafts in a thunderstorm.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explains that:
Hail forms when thunderstorm updrafts are strong enough to carry water droplets well above the freezing level. This freezing process forms a hailstone, which can grow as additional water freezes onto it. Eventually, the hailstone becomes too heavy for the updrafts to support it and it falls to the ground.
Hail can occur any time of year – even when the weather isn’t cold. According to Krissy Hurley, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service, “some of our biggest hail events outside of tornadoes, have occurred in the summer months.”
What type of damage does hail cause in Mississippi?
The main type of hail damage is roof damage to homes, businesses, and apartment complexes. The roof covering, whether shingles, metal, tiles, shakes, TPO, EPDM, BUR, or some other material, can break, crack, fracture, dent, bruise, or loosen – which often affects the ability of the roof to shed water.
Other types of hail damage that our Mississippi insurance loss lawyers handle include damage to:
- Windows
- Gutters
- Downspouts
- Other parts of the building structure
- Fences
- Carports
- Air-conditioning units
- Paint
- Bricks
- Soft metal
You need to have an experienced inspector examine the damage to your property after any severe hailstorm.
What is your record of success in helping hail damage victims?
Our record of successful hail damage claims includes the following results:
- $8,900,000 for a school district in Mississippi that suffered hail damage to dozens of its buildings. We obtained an additional insurance payment of $8,900,000.
- $7,000,000 for a municipality when hail damaged dozens of city buildings. We helped the city recover an additional $7,000,000 in insurance proceeds.
- $2,900,000 for a commercial property owner whose structure suffered hail damage.
- $1, 985,000 for a shopping center when the roof and other property were damaged.
- $1,750,000 for a church whose roof was damaged after a hailstorm.
- $1,200,000 for a commercial property owner after its initial hail damage claim was denied.
- $290,000 for a condo association that suffered hail and wind damage.
- $287,500 on behalf of a condominium association. This amount was in addition to other damage payments.
- $185,000 on behalf of a church in Mississippi that suffered hail damage to its roof.
How do your Mississippi hailstorm insurance lawyers fight for policyholders?
McWherter Scott & Bobbitt helps homeowners, commercial property owners, and other owners of property in the following ways:
- We explain what immediate steps you need to take to secure your property after a hailstorm
- We help you file your claim with your insurance carrier.
- We work with inspectors who will examine your property to evaluate the damage (including hidden or hard-to-find damage) and whether your roof (and other damaged property) can be repaired or whether the roof/other damaged property needs to be replaced.
- We work with professionals (roof experts, engineers, and architects) who repair and replace roofs and other damaged property and who can place a value on the cost of the repairs or replacement. We also review the repair and replacement estimates from the insurance companies. While some estimates may be fair, many insurance estimates underestimate the true cost to repair or replace your roof or any other property damaged due to the hail. These experts will also determine how long the repairs or rebuild will take.
- Our Mississippi hail damage claim lawyers review your insurance policies to determine the following:
- What limitations may apply to your claim apply.
- How replacement is valued. A common area of dispute is whether you’re entitled to the cost to replace the roof (or other damaged property) or the value of your roof (other damaged property). Normally, the cost of replacing a roof is much more than the value of the roof. Our lawyers work to show that you’re entitled to the actual cost to replace your roof.
We review your right to temporary lodging and other daily expenses while a roof or other parts of your home are being repaired or replaced.
Our team works to ensure that the overall claim settlement takes into account that the finished repairs or reconstruction of your roof or other damaged property should leave it in the same condition it was before the hailstorm. The repairs and reconstruction should use new quality materials.
We also contest efforts by the insurance company to deny or limit your claim. We’re ready to respond to any counter-arguments by insurance companies that exclusions apply when they don’t, that your damage wasn’t due to the hail, that the notice of damage was sent too late, that the damage is “cosmetic” and not functional, and other meritless arguments. We file bad faith claims when your insurance company refuses to negotiate in good faith.
Do you have a Mississippi hailstorm insurance claim lawyer near me?
Our Mississippi hail damage lawyers meet policyholders at our offices located at 600 Main St., Suite 301 in Tupelo and 4780 I-55 N, Suite 100 in Jackson. We also conduct consultations by phone and through video conferences. At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, our insurance loss attorneys will answer all your questions, verify the full amount of your damage claim, and work aggressively to obtain all the financial compensation you deserve.
Get help now. Speak with our experienced insurance dispute lawyers today
At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, our Mississippi hail damage insurance claim lawyers understand how upsetting and shocking it can be when a hailstorm causes damage to any part of your home or business. Our insurance loss lawyers are respected by former clients, insurance adjusters, and the legal community for our impressive record of verdicts and settlements. We’ve obtained more than $100 million in recoveries. We represent small homeowners and large complexes. We have the experience and network of professional relationships to help support your claim. To schedule a free consultation, please call us or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We represent policyholders across the Southeast.