Lightning Strike Damage Claims

So, we just had a crazy thunderstorm and your surge suppressor did NOT do its job. Your circuit boards are fried, your TV is blown and the washer is dead. It’s only electronics, but you rely on them for your creature comforts and housework. All you want is for things to get back to normal. Then you have to deal with the insurance claim and they don’t want to pay for everything you’ve lost. It’s bad enough that you’re inconvenienced like this, but now you have to fight for your replacements?

Public Loss Adjusters is a public adjusting firm that will provide you with an estimate of your loss due to a lightning strike in the same language your insurance company uses. Our estimate will focus on the lightning damage to your home and other damage related to the initial loss which is covered under your policy. Wondering how to file a claim for lightning damage? We can also help you file lightning strike damage claims, specific to the type of damage your property has sustained.

Types of Lightning Strike Damage

There are four basic types of lightning damage: physical damage, secondary effect damage, electromagnetic effect damage, and damage caused by changes in ground reference potential. Each of these types of damage is eligible for coverage within lighting strike damage claims.

• Physical Damage Physical damage is caused by current flow and heat. A typical lightning strike in the United States conveys between 25,000 and 45,000 amps, with the higher amperage strikes occurring in the south, where the storms build higher. Lightning is high current flowing over a short period of time.
• Secondary Effect Damage The secondary effect of a lightning strike can cause arcing and induced currents. During a lightning strike, the point at which the strike occurs is relatively vacated of ground charge. The area surrounding the point of the strike remains highly charged, causing an almost instantaneous potential gradient across the area. The surrounding area releases its charge to the point at which the strike occurred, causing a flow of current. This current flow can arc across any gaps in its path. If that arc takes place within a flammable material, it can cause a fire or explosion.
• Electromagnetic Effect Damage The electromagnetic field effect is similar to nuclear blast EMP, and can induce currents in nearby wires or other conductors. The on-off-on-off action of a lightning strike causes the electromagnetic field surrounding the strike to expand and collapse with the series of flashes. This electromagnetic field motion can induce electrical currents in nearby conductors, including wires and electrical equipment.
• Ground Reference Potential Damage When the ground reference potential changes across a site, it can cause current flow through grounding systems. Assume that the AC power service enters a structure at one location and is grounded at that location. The telephone service enters the same structure and is grounded at a different location. Both feed into a computer. The AC power service ground establishes the potential of the motherboard, and the telephone service ground establishes the potential of the modem board. Current divides and takes all paths – the amount of current flowing over any one path is proportionate to the surge impedance of that part vis-à-vis the surge impedance of all paths. If lightning strikes near the structure closer to one service ground than the other, there will be a difference in potential between the two grounds. This difference in potential will produce current flow. Most of the current will flow through the ground under the structure (the lower impedance path). However, some current will flow from one service ground, through the modem and computer, to the other service ground. This current flow can damage the computer.

Call us today to get help understanding your coverage and how to file a claim for lightning damage to recover from your losses.