Insurance agents discuss how to submit winter weather claims in the Ozarks

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) — Winter weather can bring insurance companies more claims.

Bạn đang xem: Insurance agents discuss how to submit winter weather claims in the Ozarks

For various reasons, insurance agents like Mark Clippard with State Farm Insurance say they see many calls in the winter.

“Generally, this time of year, we’re going to see frozen pipes. We might have tree limbs that’ll break off and fall on a house, but generally, it’s frozen pipes,” said Clippard. “You have an uptick whenever the weather gets where there’s ice on the road; people tend to drive like they do when there’s not ice, and they don’t make allowances for stopping at the proper time.”

Clippard has a few tips for filing an insurance claim due to the winter weather. The first step is to mitigate the damage, preventing it from worsening.

Xem thêm : AllianceBernstein hires Bob Sharma as Head of Insurance, EMEA & APAC

“First thing they should do is they should try to address the situation themselves, like if it’s a water pipe burst, turn the main off. Most people should know how to turn the water off in their home, unfortunately, I think there’s probably a lot that don’t,” said Clippard.

The next thing you’ll do is get in contact with a repair company, whether it’s a roofer, plumber, or other repair company. They can help you get the ball rolling and work with your insurance company once you’ve requested the claim.

“The main thing that your insurance policy says you have to mitigate further damage. So that’s why you want to get the plumber there to shut the water off, and then you don’t just leave the water sitting if water pipes burst and you have an inch of water in your kitchen. You don’t wait on State Farm claims to come in and do an estimate,” said Clippard.

When it comes to vehicles, you want to make sure you have all the information. One of the main things is to ensure you have the other vehicles’ plates. Submit this information to your insurance; they will determine the fault and get the ball rolling.

“Sometimes there could be a non-own person driving that car, but the person who owns the car is responsible for any damage their vehicle causes. Take a picture of the license plate. Then, take a picture of the driver’s insurance card and the driver’s license because here’s what happens: the police are well-intentioned but don’t come out unless there’s an injury. They tell you to exchange information,” said Clippard.

Your best course of action, whether it’s a home or vehicle, is to try and prevent damage in the first place. That might be trimming tree limbs, clearing gutters, or unhooking hoses.

Xem thêm : New California regulations aim to ease insurance crisis in wildfire-prone areas

“They help themselves, and they keep the gutters clean. Trimming the trees, obviously, when it’s the best time, is always in the fall after the leaves have fallen, but before it gets cold. It’s just common sense when it’s really cold out before the first freeze. You need to unhook your hoses. That leads to a lot of springtime pipes bursting when people have frozen pipes, and they don’t know it, and then they go to turn the hose on and get a pipe burst in their wall. That’s expensive, and that’s easily preventable,” said Clippard.

Having a good relationship with your insurance agent is also a plus. They can help you determine if a claim is worth submitting or not and help you with repair recommendations. If your repair will cost under or just over your deductible, it might be better not to submit it at all, just to prevent your insurance from changing. Insurance goes by frequency, not severity.

“You might be paying a little more to have an agent versus a 1-800 number, but people want a friendly voice, and a lot of times when you call the 1-800 numbers, it could be somebody that’s not acquainted with what winter storms do in the Midwest. They don’t know the vendors to call, so that’s why it’s important to have a relationship with your agent,” said Clippard.

Also, be patient. Insurance agents receive a lot of calls in the winter, and they prioritize severity over first-come, first-serve. Make sure you’re prepared to wait for a claim to process.

To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]. Please include the article info in the subject line of the email.

Copyright 2025 KY3. All rights reserved.