MEC&F Expert Engineers : 02/14/15

Saturday, February 14, 2015

FILE WEATHER-RELATED PROPERTY DAMAGE CLAIMS FROM ICE DAMS, BROKEN PIPES, WATER DAMAGE, MOLD, LEAKING ROOFS, DAMAGED CHIMNEYS, ETC AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND PLEASE DO NOT LIE










FEBRUARY 14, 2015




BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS




BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- One snow storm after another, and damage to homes is piling up and so are the expenses. So how do you get your insurance to pay? FOX25's Joy Lim Nakrin found an insurance adjuster with advice for our viewers ahead of the next storm.




Adjusters at Independent Claim Services have been flooded with calls for damage from all the recent snow. They work with more than a dozen insurance companies across the country and say, if you have to file a claim, do it as soon as you can.




Dave Plantinga has been adjusting claims for nearly 30 years, but rarely has he seen so much damage as in this stretch of snow.




"This is gonna be one of the busiest seasons that we've ever seen," he said.



People are dealing with leaking, ice dams, freeze ups and more. How much will be covered, is what most homeowners want to know.




"In the event of a loss the insured has a duty to protect their property from further damages, and if that is not done there's a possibility that some of those damages may not be covered," he said.




Most say it's stressful to file a claim, but "best allayed when insurance has paid."




"That's part of being a homeowner you know, nothing we can do about the weather so that's why you have the coverage," Plantinga said.




He went on to say that most insurance companies will take at least a week to pay out a claim so the earlier you file the sooner you could get paid.











THINGS TO REMEMBER:


  1. Do not try to pass an old damage as a new one;  you will get caught.  It is rather easy to determine the new vs. old property damage;
  2. Have receipts readily available for expenses, repairs, etc.  No receipts means no claim check;  this is the rule and very few exceptions are allowed;
  3. If you do not agree with the insurance company’s investigation report and findings, feel free to hire your own expert to do the investigation and prepare your own report.  This is probably the best thing you can do for large claims;
  4. Do have in mind that the insurance company’s experts are looking for the best interest of the insurer and not yours.  Thus, as has amply been documented during the Superstorm Sandy litigation, the insurance experts will downplay your damages and either find no damage or very little damage.  This is unfortunately the game that is played.  Instead of getting upset, please do yourself a favor and hire your own expert.

WHEN YOU DRIVE DURING THIS NASTY WEATHER, REMEMBER: IT IS BETTER TO ARRIVE LATE AT YOUR CURRENT DESTINATION, THAN TO ARRIVE EARLY AT YOUR FINAL DESTINATION




TWO MOTORCYCLISTS DEAD, 1 IN CALIFORNIA THE OTHER IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHEN THEY GET HIT BY OTHER VEHICLES






 Officials investigate the crash on West Blackstock Road. (Feb. 14, 2015/FOX Carolina)

Coroner identifies motorcyclist killed in Spartanburg Co. wreck

FEBRUARY 14, 2015

SPARTANBURG, SC (FOX Carolina) - 

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash Saturday.
Troopers were called to West Blackstock Road at Ivey Drive for a collision involving a Ducati motorcycle and a Honda four-door.

The roadway in the area was blocked off temporarily as officials investigated the crash. 

Troopers said the driver of the motorcycle was not wearing a helmet and succumbed to injuries at the scene. 

Spartanburg County coroner Rusty Clevenger identified the victim as Steven Melton, 54, of Roebuck.

Highway Patrol and the Spartanburg County Coroner's Office are conducting a joint investigation. Toxicology and autopsy results are pending.

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5 Freeway Partially Closed After Motorcyclist Killed in Crash

FEBRUARY 14, 2015

EAST LA, CALIFORNIA

The southbound 5 Freeway was temporarily shut down at the 10 Freeway interchange near downtown Los Angeles after a motorcyclist was killed in a collision, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The motorcycle crashed into a wall after being hit by another vehicle at about 9:45 a.m., according to the CHP’s incident log.

No further information was immediately available regarding the collision. The Los Angeles County Department of Coroner was en route to the scene as of 11:30 a.m., the log stated.

A SigAlert was issued shortly before 11 a.m. and the heavily traveled interchange from the southbound 5 to the eastbound 10 was closed. It was reopened just before noon.

By 12:50 p.m., two lanes of the 5 Freeway had been reopened, according to CHP. The freeway was fully reopened by 1:30 p.m.

The closure had caused a massive traffic jam that at one point stretched for miles all the way back to Burbank.

3 DEAD, 2 INJURED IN FIERY HEAD-ON KONA TRAFFIC CRASH BETWEEN A KIA AND A PICKUP TRUCK





FEBRUARY 14, 2015

KAILUA-KONA, HAWAII

Three people are dead and two injured Saturday following a fiery crash on Queen Kaahumanu Highway in Kailua-Kona.

The three deceased were within a southbound Kia multi-purpose vehicle that crashed head-on into a northbound pickup in the vicinity of the Kohanaiki Business Park, near Matsuyama Food Mart around 5:15 a.m. Saturday, according to the Hawaii County Fire Department.

The Kia subsequently burst into flames, and the male driver and two other occupants died at the scene, according to police. However, a fourth occupant, a 17-year-old Kailua-Kona girl was able to escape the vehicle. She was transported by medics to Kona Community Hospital. No further information was available on her condition.

The three deceased were found after firefighters managed to quash the flames, according to the department. They have not yet been positively identified.
The Hawaii Police Department is withholding the identities of the deceased pending positive identification.

A 39-year-old Kailua-Kona man driving the Nissan truck had to be extricated from the vehicle using Jaws of Life equipment. He was also transported by medics to Kona Community Hospital. No further information was available on his condition.

Queen Kaahumanu Highway was closed between Hinalani Street and Hulikoa Drive for several hours while police investigated the scene, according to the Hawaii Police Department. It reopened around 10:30 a.m. Traffic was detoured through Kaiminani Drive and Hina Lani Street while police investigated the fatal crash.

Officers have opened negligent homicide investigations into the crash.
Police did not immediately know if speed or alcohol were factors in the accident. Autopsies have been ordered to identify the bodies and determine the exact cause of death.

There have been four fatalities on Big Island roads this year, compared with three during the same period last year.

Derailment Photos from the Dubuque, Iowa Ethanol Spill



February 5, 2015| Dubuque Herald| Dave Kettering photos:
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FIRE AT HOME OF COWBOYS' ROLANDO MCCLAIN RULED ARSON







FEBRUARY 14, 2015




LAKE TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA




The fire that destroyed the Alabama home of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain was set intentionally, officials announced Friday. 




Alabama State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk said in a release Friday that investigators determined the December 23 blaze was a product of arson, per the Associated Press. 




McClain had been trying to sell the brick mansion for $1.5 million at the time of the fire. 




Investigators did not indicate any specific reasons for labeling the inferno as arson. However, authorities have said the fire was suspicious because the house was unoccupied and expensive. Additionally, a vehicle was seen speeding away from the scene, per the AP. 




No arrests have been made, according to Paulk.











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DECEMBER 22, 2014




LAKE TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA







A home on Lake Tuscaloosa belonging to former Crimson Tide linebacker Rolando McClain burned Monday evening, according to authorities.




Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Andy Norris said the home, on Water's Edge Drive, belonged to the current Dallas Cowboys linebacker.




The fire started sometime around 6 p.m.




The home was listed for sale on several real estate websites, with an asking price of $1.5 million. Listings said the home was built in 1991 and was nearly 7,500 square feet.




McClain, who is originally from North Alabama, played for the University of Alabama Crimson Tide from 2007 to 2009.