Steps To Follow If Your Car Is In A Flood

First and foremost, take as many pictures depicting the damage as necessary to show the extent of the water damage.

Second, whether you have comprehensive auto insurance or not, you need to take care of your vehicle. Aside from being just good common sense, if you have comprehensive coverage you likely have a duty to mitigate your damages. Click here for a helpful list of things to do from The Advocate:

Third, if you have comprehensive coverage, you need to call your insurance company and file a claim. It is important to do this as quickly as possible for multiple reasons. First, you want your vehicle either repaired or replaced as quickly as possible. Second, your auto insurer owes you a duty of good faith and fair dealing, per LA R.S. 22:1892 and 22:1973. As such, your insurer generally has to adjust your auto claim within 14 days of being notified of the claim by you. If your insurer does not timely initiate an adjustment of your claim, it will be in bad faith.

Hopefully, your insurer will honor its duty to you and adjust your claim in good faith and you only need to take the above three steps.

However, as we know all too well in New Orleans, this is not often the case. If your insurer fails to timely begin adjustment of your claim or you feel that your claim is not being adjusted adequately you will need to take at least one more step: retain the attorneys of Burgos and Associates.

We have experience dealing with insurance companies who do not want to honor their duties of good faith and fair dealing to you, their insureds and would be happy to represent you.