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A sinkhole could cause devastating, permanent damage to your house and the rest of your property around your house. If you have insurance coverage for these natural disasters, you may be entitled to compensation.
However, obtaining insurance compensation for damage done by a sinkhole can be a time-consuming and difficult process. The Cincinnati sinkhole lawyers at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy understand how difficult it can be to obtain fair compensation from an insurance company. We can manage every aspect of the insurance claims process on your behalf, pursuing compensation for all the damages you suffered.
Your consultation with our experienced insurance attorneys is 100 percent free and you will not be charged legal fees unless you receive compensation. There is no risk to you to contact us today to find out if we can help you.
When you notify your insurance company about a sinkhole, the representative you speak to will collect some basic information and begin an investigation. This usually involves sending an engineer or geologist to the scene to conduct specialized testing, such as ground penetrating radar and electrical resistivity studies. This could take several days or even several weeks.
The insurance company will also send out a home inspector or adjuster to survey the damage to your home and property. This inspection will be used to determine what damages are covered by your insurance and the value of those damages. The insurance company may also use licensed contractors to determine repair estimates for your property.
Unfortunately, the inspectors, engineers and others sent to investigate the sinkhole are working on behalf of the insurance company. Insurers often work with experts who tend to favor insurance companies and undervalue claims or reach conclusions about sinkholes that are unfavorable to policyholders.
If you hire a skilled legal team, they can hire experts to do their own investigation of the sinkhole and the property damage you suffered. This will help your legal team get an accurate idea of what happened and the true value of your claim. This helps us to know when an insurance company is offering a lowball settlement or unfairly denying a claim.
Another advantage to having an attorney is that he or she can deal with the insurance company on your behalf. We have many years of combined experience negotiating with insurers and know what it takes to be successful.
A sinkhole lawyer in Cincinnati also knows how to advocate for your best interests. Insurance companies would prefer to deal with policyholders because they know you are unsure about how to obtain fair compensation. Policyholders are more likely to take the first offer they receive instead of holding out for the full value of their damages.
Policyholders are also more likely to say something that hurts their claim. For example, they might minimize the damages to their home or say something that makes the insurance company think the policyholder knew about the sinkhole for weeks or months before reporting it.
If a dispute arises, our bad faith insurance attorneys are prepared to go back and forth with the insurance company until we obtain a favorable result. This could include disputes over the value of your claim, denial of your claim, processing of your claim or other disputes.
A sinkhole is a hole in the ground that is created when the rock below the surface is dissolved by water, causing the surface to collapse into the hole. Over time, the underground space becomes so large that there isn’t enough support for the land above it, resulting in a sudden collapse.
Some sinkholes are only a few inches or feet deep, but others can cover multiple acres of land. For example, in Dec. 2012, an area the size of four football fields fell into a sinkhole in Dover, Ohio. The sinkhole was 15 feet wide and 20 feet deep.
Many sinkholes are naturally occurring, resulting from carbonate rock being dissolved by groundwater. If groundwater cannot drain to the surface, it can be slowly dissolve carbonate rock, like limestone, gypsum, salt beds and domes.
However, there are also sinkholes caused by mining or other work done underground. For example, if a mineshaft collapses, it might not be able to support the ground above it, resulting in the surface collapsing into the ground.
If a sinkhole caused damage to your home, contact a Cincinnati sinkhole attorney today for a free legal consultation. We may be able to help you pursue insurance compensation.
There are three main types of sinkholes that occur:
The sinkhole attorneys in Cincinnati at our firm are prepared to pursue compensation for damage caused by these types of sinkholes.
Sinkholes can develop over many years without causing any warning signs on the surface. There is often little warning that the surface is about to collapse into the hole that has been created underground.
However, sometimes there are warning signs that a sinkhole could be forming underground, such as:
If you notice any of these signs, report them to your sinkhole insurance company right away. If you wait until things get worse, the insurance company could try to deny your claim or offer you much less compensation than you deserve. The insurance company may argue that you are responsible for what happened to your property because you did not report it right away.
Insurance companies will always do whatever they can to avoid paying policyholders all the compensation they deserve. It is best not to give them a reason to be suspicious about your claim because it can make the process even more contentious.
If part of your property begins to fall into a sinkhole, there are several steps you should take to help ensure your family’s safety and help to preserve your insurance claim:
Has your home been damaged or destroyed by a sinkhole?
The Cincinnati sinkhole lawyers at our firm may be able to pursue insurance compensation for your damages. We know how contentious this process can be, as we have years of experience negotiating fair compensation with insurance companies.
We are committed to conducting a detailed investigation to determine the full value of the damages you suffered. We want to recover all the compensation you deserve, up to the limits of your policy.
Your consultation with our attorneys is free and you will not be assessed legal fees unless you receive compensation.