LOVELAND, Ohio — For the past month and a half, David Hamilton's life has been flipped upside down. That's because his home in Loveland was destroyed when a tree fell on it during an April storm.
"It was chaotic ... it looked like it had snowed in here, rain was pouring in, a tree (was) in here," Hamilton said.
WCPO 9 spoke to him the day after the storm. He said he was sitting in his home, watching television, when his ceiling suddenly collapsed on him. Luckily, he and his wife weren't hurt.
Now the two are living in an RV in their driveway.
"Not like living in the house, but at least we have a place to stay," Hamilton said.
But fixes have been costly. Hamilton said he's paid nearly $25,000 out of pocket for repairs. That's because his insurance company denied his claim, and he's not sure why.
"(I was) kind of stunned, because it's like, 'Now what are we going to do?'" Hamilton said.
Learn what options you may have if your storm damage insurance claim is denied in the video below:
That's a question Justin Lawrence tries to answer every day. His law firm, Lawrence & Associates, works to help people in Ohio and Kentucky who feel they've had an insurance claim wrongfully denied.
Lawrence said they are one of the only local law firms that provide that practice.
He said they look at individual insurance policies to see if claims are wrongfully denied or unreasonably delayed.
"We do free consultations so you don't have to pay anything if it's a case where we can't help you out," Lawrence said.
Lawrence said if your home is damaged from a storm, you should:
- Immediately report it to your insurance company
- Provide the insurance company with a list of everything lost or damaged and its price
- Cooperate with the insurance company and give them time to respond
We asked Lawrence about Hamilton's home to see what options he may have.
"That's typically covered under a policy," Lawrence said. "I'd have to review David's policy to see whether or not it's covered for him, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't."
Lawrence said anyone questioning their insurance company's results should call them at 859-371-5997 or visit their website.
