Due to COVID, we are operating differently, but we remain just as dedicated to delivering professional advice to our clients. We have our office staffed and we are working remotely.

Let’s take a look at what you need to know about personal injury law during this time.

• We are able to continue practicing law while social distancing and following the state and federal guidelines. We have the ability to us Zoom, Facetime, and other electronic means for exchange of documents. COVID will not affect our ability to handle your case.
• Attorneys and clients alike have been uniquely affected while attempting to navigate their cases during this pandemic.
• Plaintiffs are worried about seeking medical attention due to injuries sustained, but it is important to continue to do so even in this pandemic. Clients need to be diligent about keeping their own personal records, detailing all attempts to seek treatment, treatments given and follow up medical advice.
• It is understandable that seeking treatment increases exposure and spread of the virus contamination. Many times, injured parties must travel to see specialty doctors, which adds an additional level of concern. Despite the fears, it is essential that clients continue to maintain close monitoring and communication with their doctors.
• Telemedical visits include the use of electronic communications and software to provide clinical services to patients without an in-person visit. These services have gone mainstream during the last two months of the pandemic, so make arrangements that work best for you. From now on, patients may demand that telemedicine service delivery be their standard-of-care during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to know that the information from these visits could become critical in your personal injury case.
• We recommend that you keep a dated journal with details including: exact dates of diagnoses, changes or worsening of symptoms, fluctuations good or bad of health, and any other relevant information such as the inability to seek medical treatment.
• Insurance companies are still required to investigate, process and pay insurance claims. Do not accept an insurance company telling you otherwise. This is where a personal injury attorney can step in on your behalf.
• Economic concerns could play a role in a plaintiff’s settlement due to eagerness to settle to receive payment. It is important to know the insurance companies know the vulnerable state you may be in due to loss of wages and unemployment. Be careful not to let them take advantage of your situation and the difficult financial situation you may be in by settling too quickly and for substantially less.
• The closed courts have put personal injury cases, as well as all legal matters, into a delayed state. If you have a time sensitive case and no trial date, this can affect a timely outcome.
• Courthouses have allowed online filing of cases. Know that your case can still be filed timely, so do not hesitate to act even when proceedings may be pushed back several months.

Finally, at Friedman and Martin, LLP, we are working to stay ahead of how the pandemic affects personal injury law. Our goal is to be able to advise our clients how to navigate this unchartered territory relating to their potential case, stay determined to seek fair compensation, and remain diligent with insurance companies and the courts. By doing so, we can help ensure our clients come out of this in a better place emotionally, financially and physically.

If you have experienced a personal injury and believe you may have a case, please call us today at 912-232-8500 or complete our form here.