If you carry the minimum amount of vehicle insurance required by Florida law, will this cover hurricane damages to your vehicle?
Windstorm damage, flooding, debris, and projectiles can all cause serious damage to a vehicle. Your vehicle can be insured against all of these hazards with the proper coverage. By law, Florida residents are required to carry a minimum of $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) insurance and $10,000 in property damage liability (PDL) insurance. However, this minimum coverage only covers medical bills incurred by you as a rersult of an auto accident (PIP) and damages to another’s property (PDL). Thus, PIP and PDL will not cover damage to your vehicle caused by a hurricane, flood, or any other kind of weather related damage. If you want your vehicle to be covered, you will need additional coverage.
What kind of vehicle insurance do you need to cover hurricane damage to your car?
You will require comprehensive vehicle insurance coverage in order to ensure coverage for non-accident related damage to your vehicle. Comprehensive vehicle insurance coverage may even cover you in case your car is damaged by flooding. Depending on your driving history, your location, the value of your car, and the deductible that you pay, comprehensive vehicle insurance rates can vary in cost.
What if you do not have or cannot afford comprehensive vehicle insurance coverage?
If you cannot afford comprehensive vehicle insurance, there are still a variety of options to keep your vehicle safe during a hurricane. The first option you should explore is parking your vehicle in a parking garage. This may not guarantee complete safety to your car during a storm, but it may be safer than leaving it on a street exposed to the elements.
There are many different public and private parking garages offering free parking during a storm. While this may be a good option, it is important to note that these garages will not be held responsible for hurricane damages and non-weather related damages, like vandalism and theft. If you cannot park your vehicle in a garage and need to park it outside, parking next to a building can help shield your vehicle from any high winds and projectiles. Finally, if you are in an area prone to storm surge or flooding, you should park your car further inland and away from flood and surge prone areas. Even if you carry comprehensive coverage it is still best practice to follow these steps to minimize your losses.
How does the claims process work?
The vehicular claims process works much like any other sort of insurance claim process. First, you will document the damages to your vehicle. This will include before and after photos of the damage, as well as a picture of the location where your vehicle was stored if possible. Furthermore, have the following information handy: your policy number, the start and end date of your policy, and the date and time of the event causing the damage. Promptly notify your insurer of the damage and fully cooperate with their investigation. Your insurer may require you to complete a sworn statement detailing the event and time of the damage. Your insurer will assign your case to a claims adjuster and an inspection of the vehicle will be scheduled. Once an amount has been agreed upon, your claim will be settled and your case will be closed.
You can reach Miami Hurricane Insurance Claims Lawyer J.P. Gonzalez-Sirgo by dialing his direct number at (786) 272-5841, calling the main office at (305) 461-1095, or Toll Free at 1 (866) 71-CLAIM or email Attorney Gonzalez-Sirgo directly at [email protected].
