Personal Property Damage

California property owners know how the risk of forest fires can be a threat to their personal property. With the current wildfires raging across California, your houses, rental property, vehicles, and business may experience smoke damage and burns as a result of the wildfires.

Personal Property Damage

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Personal Property Damage from Fires

Faulty power lines, faulty wiring in your home, or arson all can result in devastating fire damage to your personal property. Whether the fire was a result of a power company’s negligence, faulty wiring in your home as a result of an incompetent contractor, or a wildfire, San Diego personal injury attorney Ryan Sargent can handle your case.

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CALIFORNIA FIRE LIABILITIES

The team at Sargent Law Firm encourages all people living in California to make every attempt to protect their homes from fire, especially in an area that is prone to one of California’s many wildfires. Your California homeowner’s insurance company may be slow to respond if your damages are related to a fire.

As is the case with wildfires, your homeowner’s insurance company may be experiencing a high uptick in the number of fire-related claims due to the many wildfires in California. This can cause adjusters to rush through their work so they can get to all the homes they are required to appraise.

The Sargent Law Firm has a staff of knowledgeable attorneys who have experience litigating personal property damage claims due to wildfires. Their team can walk you through all of the steps that must be done when dealing with a personal property claim as a result of a wildfire. These steps include:

Finding an expert in the field of assessing and evaluating damages and causes in a fire-related incident

Arrange for a qualified appraiser to take all factors into consideration when calculating the full extent of your wildfire damage

Help coordinate necessary repairs and other tasks for your fire-damaged personal property.

In many cases, casualty insurance protects your personal property and business owners against claims that may arise out of the actions and events happening at your premises. In the case of a fire, it’s possible for other people to claim that your property or place of business was negligent which caused them to be damaged by the fire.

GUIDE TO FILING A PERSONAL PROPERTY CLAIM IN CALIFORNIA

There are key criteria that must be met that the attorney you hire must be able to prove. They include:

Duty:

Many times the claim for negligence is determined by whether or not the defendant owed you a legal duty of care.

Breach of Duty:

Sometimes duty of care of not enough. Your attorney may need to prove there was a breach of the duty of care in the defendant’s negligent actions.

Cause of Fact:

In a personal property case, you must prove that the actions of the defendant caused the fire damage to your property.

Proximate Cause:

This refers to the scope of the defendant’s responsibility and the duty of care in a personal property damage negligence case. The defendant must only be held accountable for the fire damages to your personal property that would have been expected because of specific actions.

Damages:

This is the harm the fire caused to your personal property, and it must be legally recognized. There has to be some type of quantifiable damage the fire caused to your personal property after you’ve proven the defendant breached their duty of care.

OTHER WAYS TO SOLVE A FIRE DISPUTE

In many cases there are other ways to resolve a dispute regarding the fire damage to your personal property. You can:

 

Reopen Negotiations:

There’s a way where you can go back to your California homeowner’s insurance company and try to resolve your dispute. In some cases, the adjuster may want to stop talking to you, so you will need to find someone else at your California insurance company who will listen to you. If you and your homeowner’s insurance company are both willing to talk, there may be a way to resolve your claim.

File a Complaint:

You can file a complaint with the California Department of Insurance if your insurance company either doesn’t pay you or will not reopen negotiations. You can file a complaint in person or online, and at point it’s out of your control. The DCOI and your insurance company will have to go back and forth on your claim and it most likely will end up in continued negotiations for you.

Find a Public Property Adjuster:

Public adjusters specialize in assessing damage and coverage issues during wildfires and other incidents. They can assist you in the negotiations and advocate for you against any potential defendants. A qualified property damage attorney can assist you in obtaining a good property adjuster who can help you.

Find a Qualified Attorney to Advocate for You

CALL ATTORNEY RYAN SARGENT TODAY

Ryan Sargent and his team of qualified attorneys advocate for the victims of California’s wildfires. These wildfires can rob you of your home, pets, cars, personal property, and businesses. It may be possible for you to collect damages from those parties who are responsible.

The Sargent Law Firm assures you that you will not pay a fee unless they win your case. Your consultation is free with no obligations.

Free Case Review

All of our initial consultations are 100% FREE & Confidential. Fill out this form to request a FREE Consultation.

By submitting this form, you consent to being contacted by The Wildfire Lawyers via phone, text, or email. 888.501.6083