NORFOLK, Va. — With ice on the roads and sidewalks, there is a greater opportunity for slipping, sliding, falling, or crashing. That means insurance companies and attorneys are getting more calls.
When the snow hit this week, state police responded to hundreds of car crashes. After those involved made sure they were okay, the next step for many people was contacting insurance.
"If you hit something it's a collision, and if something falls on you that's comprehensive," explained Erik Fink, insurance agent with Fink & Associates Insurance Agency.
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Fink noted car insurance is pretty straightforward but said it's common for drivers to forget to check or update their policies. He suggests checking yearly, emphasizing that coverage is especially important as car prices increase.
"You want to make sure you have enough coverage to cover the price. Insurance shouldn't necessarily be set it and forget it. But a lot of times people set it, and unless there's a major increase or something major happening, they just don't go back and look at it," Fink said.
Car crashes make up a significant portion of the calls Huffman & Huffman Brothers-in-Law litigation attorney David Ratz receives.
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"Because of the type of storm, the snowstorm, you have a lot more incidents of people going off the road or losing control. So we definitely see an uptick," said Ratz.
However, he noted that ice poses other risks as well — which many people have questions about.
"What typically happens if someone slips and falls on another person's property?" asked News 3 reporter Erika Craven.
"That's where it's going to really be dependent on the facts, especially when you're dealing with snowstorms. It's going to depend on the type of property, or the ownership of the property, exactly why it is they slipped and fell. That's true for all cases that are a slip and fall or trip and fall, but especially during or after snowstorms," said Ratz.
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If it's a car crash or slip and fall, Ratz said attorneys can help assess if a claim is valid and navigate next steps.
Both Fink and Ratz advised that documentation of any incident on the ice can be helpful if you're moving forward with a claim.
On Friday, Norfolk's crews cleared snow from garages, stairwells and crosswalks in an effort to keep residents safe heading into the weekend.
