Here is what we are telling our clients and potential clients about the effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) on their personal injury claims:

Maximize your Medical Treatment

The most important thing you can do after you are injured is to seek medical treatment. Getting the proper medical care early-on will help you heal faster with less long-term effects. Also, to maximize the value of your case, you must follow through with all the treatment recommended by your doctor.

Because of the coronavirus outbreak, some people might be afraid to keep their medical appointments, but don’t let yourself succumb to the fear. Take proper precautions when interacting with your healthcare professionals – wear a mask, wash your hands, don’t touch your face. You’ve heard it all a thousand times by now. Follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations on medication and home exercises.

If you are unable to get an appointment with a provider, then you should document your efforts to do so. Ask the provider when you should follow up and put the date on your calendar. While a massage therapist may be closed due to social distancing mandates, chiropractors and physical therapists are generally still operating. While you may not be able to go through with an “elective surgery,” you should be on the doctor’s schedule as soon as possible once they re-open.

Document your Employment Situation

Another big issue our clients are facing is changes in earnings due to COVID-19 mandates when they were already restricted due to their injuries. If you have a job, maintain written communication with your employer through email or text about why your position is being eliminated, your hours are being reduced, or your pay is being reduced. Don’t rely solely on oral communication by phone or in person. If you have a conversation with your supervisor, confirm it afterwards in a text or email. Your employer’s cooperation is vital to documenting your lost wages. If you own a business, use this time in lockdown to do what you should have been doing all along — documenting your past and present financial performance. Make sure you have written contracts with your customers and document any lost revenue due to lost work.

Be Open to Alternative Dispute Resolution

Your case is ultimately what a jury would think it’s worth. Due to COID-19, civil jury trials have been postponed on the West Coast since mid-March until who knows when. We are pushing insurance adjusters and defense attorneys on the other side harder than ever to conduct settlements, depositions, mediations, and arbitrations by videoconferencing to resolve cases quickly and fairly. Idiart Law Group

While we hope that insurance companies and juries will be understanding of the challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions, we are not going to hold our breath. Insurance companies’ revenues may decline due their customers’ economic hardships, which may cause the companies’ profits to decline. We expect adjusters to fight even harder before settling claims, but we will continue to fight as we have always done. When the courts reopen to civil jury trials, we expect a backlog due to the rescheduling that has been happening on the West Coast since mid-March. We also expect some jurors who have been through economic hardship to be less sympathetic to claimants from accidents. Therefore, being open to settlement, mediation, and arbitration to resolve your case is generally a good idea in this environment.

Hire Idiart Law Group

If you were on the fence about hiring an attorney to handle your personal injury claim, it’s time to hire a professional. Every client has a team working for them with a case manager, legal assistant, and attorney dedicated to their case.
Due to our previous investment in technology, Idiart Law Group was well-prepared to continue operating through the pandemic. Most documents can be signed electronically. We continue to be available through phone, text, email, and videoconferencing as we have always been. We remain dedicated to serving the injured in California and Oregon so they don’t have to fight the system alone.

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