Hail Damage Claims Continue To Pour In After Monday's Storm
COON RAPIDS, Minn. (WCCO) -- Under a large tent in a Home Depot parking lot, American Family Insurance has set up a drive-in claim center. It is just one of five such locations across the metro where cars and trucks are rolling in to get checked out.
"This is one of the larger events we've had," says manager Aaron Mitchell.
He's talking about the massive hail storm that pelted communities across the western and northern suburbs on Monday.
In just the first couple of days after the storm hit, the claim centers have already processed 2500 hail damaged vehicles.
Tina Hansen's 2019 Ford Excursion was parked at her work when the hail rained down. She recalls the helpless feeling, knowing the large hailstones were doing significant damage.
Hours after her appointment with the insurance adjuster, her husband's truck will be here too.
"He was on his way home when the second wave came through between Blaine and Elk River. So he actually has worse damage than I have," explains Hansen.
Once the adjuster determines damages, paperwork for each claim is filled out and a check issued. For the insured client, it's then off to a body shop for repairs.
American Family's Mitchell says, the quicker a claim is processed the sooner repairs can begin.
"Area body shops will be filling up quickly and the sooner we can get the vehicles in for the customers, hopefully, the sooner they can get back on the roads and get the vehicle restored back to that pre-loss condition," Mitchell adds.
The worst of the damage was done in a swath from Watertown to Delano and Maple Grove. That's where vehicles and properties were pelted by golf ball to baseball-sized hailstones.
If the cost of repairs exceeds a vehicle's value, it will be totaled and a check for the fair market price is issued.
"We can identify quickly if we are looking at a potential total loss," explains Mitchell.
And for many of the customers like Hansen, this is the second time in two years that hail has ruined part of their summer.
The June 2017 hail storm was the state's costliest weather event for insurance claims -- causing $3.2 billion in insured losses.
