Tropical cyclones are common in the Boston area, and residents can attest to the destruction. As reported in USAToday, 2020 was the most active hurricane season, with 31 named storms followed by 21 hurricanes. If you were harmed or had property damage during these natural occurrences, a Boston hurricane damage lawyer from Dolman Law Group can help you recoup your losses.
Understanding the Extent of Hurricane Damage
Natural disasters bring calamities of monumental proportions, ranging from injuring or killing people to destroying properties. The Northeast megalopolis, better known as the Boston–Washington corridor, is the most urbanized megaregion in the U.S. This metropolitan area has over 50 million residents and is heralded as the biggest economic output globally.
However, tropical cyclones yield the most destruction with particular attention to the northeastern seaboard. Per the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 2020 was the most disastrous hurricane season, with $22 billion going toward natural disasters, and 262 people perished. Hurricanes may cause the following damages:
- Destruction of buildings due to vicious winds
- Flooding of houses and business premises due to excessive rainfall
- Landslides in places with unstable soil
- Fauna and flora are devastated by the deluge
- Destroying chemical plants, thus releasing environmental toxins
Even if you have home insurance and other policies to cover damages from natural disasters, it helps to have a lawyer with experience in this field. Negotiations can get heated, and emotions run high, mainly when these natural disasters cause wrongful death. A Boston hurricane damage lawyer will investigate your claim, collect evidence, build a strong case, and negotiate or litigate on your behalf.
Fatalities from Hurricanes in the Northeast
Apart from the unimaginable destruction mentioned above, the human cost is the greatest and irreversible. Family members of those who perished are left enduring inconsolable pain as they navigate their newfound reality.
Here are the highlights of hurricane deaths in recent years:
- In January 2022, two people in Long Island died following this year's unprecedented snowstorm. One victim was an older woman who died from a possible heart attack in her vehicle because she couldn't get help in time.
- In September 2021, Hurricane Ida caused historic rainfall in New York City, claiming nine lives due to flooding. Reports say the victims were trapped in a flooded basement, and help didn't arrive on time to salvage them.
- In August 2021, a seventeen-inch rainstorm in Tennessee claimed 22 people, many of whom died in their shattered homes. Others were reported missing and presumed dead after rescue teams failed to locate them sooner.
Following up on the Long Island example above, getting medical assistance in poor weather conditions is near-impossible due to closed roads or traffic jams. Also, hurricanes have negative environmental impacts on human life, such as pollutants infiltrating water supplies. Research published by the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) surmises that people die after these natural disasters for these reasons:
- Injuries that didn't respond well to treatment
- Infectious and parasitic ailments
- Respiratory and cardiovascular diseases
- Neuropsychiatric disorders
Steps to Take Following a Hurricane
Natural disasters, like tropical cyclones, are scary, and their damage goes beyond destroying homes and transportation channels to killing people. Here are measures you can take to protect your interests after the storm subsides:
- If you can, cover the damaged property with a tarp or an awning to prevent further damage by rainwater
- Document the area, including your front and back yards and the nearby streets
- Take photos inside your property with close attention to damaged items, like broken windows
- File your homeowner's insurance claim without delay
- Contact a hurricane attorney to guide you through the legal process
Why Hire a Boston Hurricane Damage Lawyer?
Destruction from hurricanes can happen immediately or in the months or years following such a disaster. Things can get murky when a loved one presents symptoms of an unexplained ailment that could be linked to a previous storm. Dolman Law Group understands this all too well and can investigate to establish the correlation between your loved one's health problems or your losses and a storm.
We'll assist you by executing these duties:
- Hiring a medical expert to review and analyze your symptoms
- Examining your insurance policy to see what losses are covered
- Suggesting other policies that may cater to other damages
- Compiling and presenting a compensation claim to your insurer
- Computing the damages you're owed using an agreeable formula
- Starting negotiations with the insurance adjusters
- Filing an appeal if the insurance agency denies your claim
Our team has a wealth of experience handling such claims and knows insurance companies are not keen on paying the entire claim, and they can deny claims altogether. We're ready to defend your rights and take matters to open court if negotiations prove futile.
Damages You Can Claim After a Hurricane
As you can see thus far, tropical cyclones yield negative consequences on many fronts. Victims sustain injuries that may require extensive medical intervention, and sometimes these treatment efforts are not enough. Death is another grim possibility that can take away a breadwinner, a parent, a spouse, or a cherished friend from their community.
Your lawyer can help you seek financial recovery for various damages, such as:
- Medical bills, now and in the future
- Home repair or rebuilding a new house and unattached structures, like the garage
- Temporary living accommodations while your home is inhabitable
- Expenses incurred while boarding up your property
- The costs of cleaning up debris and trees from your yard
- Replacing damaged items, like electronic appliances and furniture
The severity of the damage depends on how intense the hurricane was, ranging from category 1 (wind gusts above 74 mph) to category 5 (winds traveling above 155 mph).
Contact Dolman Law Group for Responsive Legal Counsel
Did you lose your home after a hurricane? Dolman Law Group can help you negotiate or litigate until you get a fair settlement to repair or rebuild your home. We have your best interests at heart and want to help you avoid the common pitfalls of filing insurance claims following a natural disaster.
We'll share regular case updates and answer all your queries when you hire us. Let us negotiate with your insurance carrier as you focus on rebuilding your life after the storm. Contact us today for free case review and legal help.
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA
76 Canal Street, Suite 302
Boston, MA 02114
(857) 407-4182