Indiana homeowners in tornado, storms: Insurer let us down
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Months after a tornado ripped through Johnson County, dozens of people are fighting to get their insurance company to pay up, with complaints centering around one insurer.
The owner of a home on North Delaware Street in Indianapolis in suing State Farm Insurance for failing to pay for damage from a hailstorm.
I-Team 8 has heard other complaints from people in Johnson County fighting to be paid for repairs. Melia Vandivier told I-Team 8, “I do not like to show this part of me to where I have to fight to get a home … I mean, I’m covered 100%.”
Vandivier and her husband bought their house 25 years ago. She says they have never filed a claim for damage and always paid their insurance premiums. They considered State Farm as a privilege.
“And I had heard in the past that State Farm was a really good insurance company, and if they would accept you even as a client, then you were doing well to even be accepted by State Farm.”
The house behind Vandiviers’ Whiteland, Indiana, home was leveled by a storm. The house just south of Vandiveier’s home was condemned and will be demolished this week along with a couple of other houses along the street. The Vandiviers say there is no question they were lucky their house didn’t take a direct hit.
Melia said, “There are a lot of houses that have been fixed. If you were here the very first day, there are a lot of houses that have been fixed.”
The Vandiviers’ house is not one of those. A tarp on Wednesday covered part of the roof and a broken window in the back of the home.
The Vandiviers’ relationship with the insurance company soured a few weeks ago when it stopped responding to her. “So I’m not sure why I’m being treated this way, as if my house is any different than anyone else, but there are a lot of people in these neighborhoods that are saying that State Farm is giving them the same the same thing.”
One of those people is Isaiah Morrow. He lives in the same Whiteland neighborhood. His home needs a new roof, several windows and siding.
Two months after the storm, he was offered a settlement from State Farm, and the work will require some sweat from him. About the settlement, Morrow told I-Team 8, “No, there is nowhere near enough. I’m doing most of the work myself because I don’t have any money for it.”
State Farm has a history of underpaying for claims in Indiana.
In 2006, a hailstorm damaged several homes in the Old Northside neighborhood of Indianapolis. The Indiana Department of Insurance ordered the company to pay $275,000 to resolve claims caused by the storm.
According to the Indiana Department of Insurance, from 2009 to 2021, 21% of all homeowner complaints have been filed against State Farm.
Vandivier says she will be doing the same.
State Farm told I-Team 8 that it does not talk about specific complaints, but sent a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“In the past four and a half years, State Farm has paid out over half a billion dollars to Indiana customers for catastrophe losses (not including automobiles). With any claim, State Farm seeks to provide our customers all benefits to which they are entitled within the terms of the insurance policy. As part of our commitment to our customers, we welcome additional information that may help us identify any applicable benefit under the policy.”
State Farm Insurance statement
Previous coverage
- State Farm stops home insurance sales in California, citing wildfire risks
- Florida’s homeowner insurance rates are four times the national average
- ‘Eyes in the storm’: A gallery of the Indiana storm damage
- Indiana storms kill 5; leave severe damage across the state
- What we know about 4 tornadoes in Indiana on June 25, 2023
- What we know about 23 tornadoes that hit Indiana on March 31-April 1, 2023