Rock Quarry Blasting Home Damage Lawsuits

But, you don’t have to be close to sustain significant damage. Homes and businesses can be damaged even if they are miles away from the blast sites. The explosives used to blast rock aren’t supposed to be strong enough to damage surrounding properties, but people living near quarries all over Florida disagree.

Quarries weren’t always located close to homes. However, as neighborhoods grew or builders added new suburbs, they got closer to the quarries. The quarries were originally quite far from neighborhoods. In some cases, homes and businesses are as close as 1,000 feet from a quarry.

Quarry mining for rock in Florida is a billion-dollar business. Miami-Dade has at least nine quarries that have active blasting permits. Most are located in the “Lake Belt” region of the county. That area produces almost half of the 153 million tons of limestone that is used in Florida each year, according to the Miami Herald.

Even as quarries and private property have crept closer to each other, it’s important to remember that homes and businesses can be damaged miles away from blast sites. With that in mind, here are the affected zip codes, based on public data:

Miami Quarry:

• 33172
• 33178
• 33182
• 33192
• 33194
• 33126
• 33165
• 33174
• 33175
• 33184
• 33199
• 33222
• 33265
• 33283

2 FEC Quarry:

• 33018
• 33178
• 33016

Krome Quarry:

• 33193
• 33196
• 33183
• 33185
• 33186

Pennsuco Quarry:

• 33016
• 33018
• 33178
• 33012
• 33014
• 33194
• 33195

White Rock Quarry:

• 33018
• 33015
• 33016
• 33027
• 33029
• 33178

Lake 6 Quarry:

• 33016
• 33018
• 33178
• 33002
• 33012
• 33014
• 33015
• 33194

Atlantic Civil / SDI Quarry:

• 33030
• 33031
• 33032
• 33133
• 33034
• 33035
• 33039

The Florida Division of State Fire Marshal requires all quarries to adhere to particular blasting limits. If a quarry’s blasting exceeds these limits, the State Fire Marshal can penalize the quarries. Authorities use a seismograph to measure ground vibrations to ensure compliance.

The State Fire Marshal and the quarries have said blasting isn’t causing the damage to nearby homes when the blast is within the legal limit, based on the results of a commissioned study. Insurance companies might try to use these results to deny valid claims, but don’t be intimidated.

This report and others that have come up with similar results fail to take into account the cyclical nature of blasting and its cumulative effect. That means the insurance company may still be liable for blasting damage and our quarry blasting lawyers might even be able to use these reports against the insurers.

When the quarries are blasted with explosives to break up the rock, some energy from the blasts escapes into the atmosphere. This generates air-blasts or vibrations. Repeated exposure to these vibrations creates damage to structures near the quarry. Additionally, some energy from the blast vibrates through surface soil and limestone. These ground vibrations could also cause damage to structures near the quarry.

If you’ve already made a claim or have done some research, you may be wondering how you can prove the damage to your home or business was caused by quarry blasting. We at Morgan & Morgan Insurance Recovery Group have a team of experts who will go to your home or business to examine the damage. This is provided at no cost to you. Our experts will be able to determine the cause of the cracking.

Additionally, records from the seismographs that quarries use to measure ground movement could help us in a quarry blasting lawsuit.

Most insurance policies for homes and businesses have coverage for damage caused by blasting. Even if you filed a claim and it has been denied, you should let us review the denial—again, we do that for free. If the insurance company is correct, we will tell you. However, if the insurance company was wrong in denying you or low-balling your coverage, we will let you know and then outline a plan of action to help you get reimbursement for damages you may have paid for or payment for damages that have not been repaired.

Even if the insurance company’s engineer stated the blasting did not cause the damage to your home or business, we may find that the blasting was the cause, and we can use the engineering report against the insurance company.

All the quarry blasting lawsuit cases we’ve won started with a “No” from the insurance companies. Let us help you for free. Contact us today.

If your home is frequently rattled by explosions from a nearby quarry, cracks in the interior or exterior walls, and ceilings may have been caused by the blasts from the quarry. The only way to determine if your home was damaged by quarry blasting is to have it examined by experts. At Morgan & Morgan, we have a team of experts who will examine your home at no cost to you and determine the cause of the cracking.

Quarries use explosives to break rock, but some of the energy escapes during the blast. Some of that energy escapes into the atmosphere to generate air-blasts or air vibrations, while the remainder of the energy leaves the blast site through the surface soil and limestone in the form of ground vibrations. Repeated exposure to these vibrations damage structures. If you can feel the vibrations from the explosions, then the vibrations could be powerful enough to damage your structure – even if the quarries are miles away from your home or business.

Most homeowners and business owners insurance policies provide coverage for cracking damage caused by blasting. If you believe your home or business may have been damaged as a result of blasting, then contact us for a free evaluation.

IMPORTANTLY, even if your insurance company has denied your claim, let us review that denial for free. If your insurance company is right, we will tell you. But, if they are wrong, we will let you know that, and what we can do to help. The most important thing to do is not be intimidated by a denial. Even if your insurance company had your home or building inspected by an engineer who said the blasting did not cause your damage, let us review your case for free. Many times, we are able to use that engineering report against the insurance company. "No" is not the end of the inquiry. It’s just the beginning. In fact, every case we’ve ever won all have one thing in common. They all started with “no.”

No, you do not need to file a claim first. You will be assigned a case staff member who will look into the matter first and let you know when to file the claim with your insurance.

Every situation and insurance company is different. Your attorney will be able to assess your situation. This is just the first step for us to look into your matter further; no action is going to be taken on your behalf until you speak with your case staff to further evaluate your claim.

Every situation and insurance company is different. Your attorney will be able to assess your situation. This is just the first step for us to look into your matter further; no action is going to be taken on your behalf until you speak with your case staff to further evaluate your claim.

There are no out of pocket expenses or costs to you. In most of our cases, if we win, the insurance company must pay all of our attorneys’ fees and costs. If we lose, we will work for free.

We may be able to assist, our attorneys’ just need to look into the matter a bit further to determine whether or not we can assist.

Florida law essentially protects mines from being sued over blasting.

Quarries extract rock from the earth with the use of explosives. When the explosives are detonated, large chunks of rock break off, and that rock is crushed into smaller pieces for use in construction, or for use in construction materials. In Florida, rock quarry mining is a billion-dollar business, and companies extract tens of millions of tons of limestone annually. All that blasting takes a toll.

Even if the State, County or City says that the quarry didn’t cause the damage, let us look at your case for free. We have found that many so-called “experts” say that a blast is not strong enough to cause damage. But, they often ignore the cumulative effect that repeated blasts over time has on structures. No matter what, do not be intimidated by anyone who says that the blasting is not causing the damage. Let our team of professionals review your case, so we can figure out what is causing the damage.

If you can feel the blast, so can your house. We have proven that blasts can cause cracking miles away from a structure.

Every rock quarry is monitored by a seismograph — an instrument that measures ground movement — and a seismologist. These records are often powerful evidence we can use against your insurance company.

Quarries have been operating extensively in Florida for decades, but they weren’t always located so close to homes and businesses. Some neighborhoods now located near quarries did not exist when the quarry originally opened, and were only built after.
Today, there are homes and businesses in Florida located within as little as 1,000 feet of a quarry.

While most of the energy from a quarry blast is used to break rock, some of the energy will travel from the blast site in the form of ground and airwaves. Because humans are sensitive to all vibrations, you may feel your house shake even at low levels.

In addition to getting all existing damage from blasting repaired, we also include in the claim an estimate to retrofit the foundation of the home to protect against future blasting damage. In most insurance policies there is language that states that after a loss the insurance company must make reasonable and necessary repairs to protect the property. And yes, if there is damage to the home after it has been repaired they can file another damage claim.