Can You File An Insurance claim For a Fallen Tree?

Trees fall all the time.  It’s part of mother nature. Just recently, my neighbor’s backyard palm tree fell and woke me up in the middle of the night when I felt it hit the ground.  It fell toward my home, and thankfully missed without causing any damage.
 
It got me thinking about writing and discussing a claim that we had a few years ago when a tree hit our client’s home, which caused extensive property damage. No one sustained any injuries because they were away when the damage occurred.
 
Are Fallen Trees Covered?
During a heavy wind and rainstorm, lightning struck a large tree that fell on our client’s home. The damage was extensive causing the need for a new roof along with damage to the trusses, and water damage to the interior of their home.
 
The fallen tree itself is not covered for replacement, but the removal of the tree from the property is covered up to a certain amount as per the policy. 
 
 
What The Insurance Company Claimed
The insurance company inspected the damage and alleged that the tree was rotted which is why the tree fell. They tried to apply the following policy exclusion:
 
“We do not insure for loss caused directly or indirectly by any of the following: Decay or buried or organic materials”.
 
Coverage For The Claim
We proved that the lightning strike caused damage to the tree which is what led to it falling on their property. We provided photos in support of our findings together with confirmed weather data.
 
Ultimately the carrier agreed to place coverage on the claim and we were able to get them paid for all their damage.
 
When you have an insurance company that listens to reason and reviews the documentation provided, it is a good day.  Sometimes that is not always the case when proof and facts get overlooked.
 
How To Choose The Right Public Adjuster
There are benefits if hiring a public adjuster. Make sure the public adjuster has knowledge, experience, has attention to detail, and good negotiation skills.
 
Not having these skills can make or break your insurance claim. At Reliant Insurance Adjusters, we have all these skills and more, and treat every client’s claim as if it were our own.
 
We handle new, underpaid, and denied claims. Call us for your insurance claim needs today.