How to Deal with Personal Injury While In Quarantine

Life as we know it will never be the same. The novel coronavirus has shown us how complacent we had become when it comes to our hygiene and health in general. Now that most governments have mandated people to stay home and follow quarantine orders, cars on the road are now a rarity. Many would expect that incidents of car accidents and personal injury would decrease to an all-time low.

However, these accidents can still happen. People still need to go out to grab their essentials like medications and groceries. When accidents happen, do you know how you would deal with it?

Here are some things that you should keep in mind.

Keep Your Distance

If you are not seriously hurt, you should get out of your car (if you have a mask, wear it) and assess the damage. Remember, though, that the coronavirus can be present in a person, even if they do not present any symptoms of the disease. That said, it would be wise to keep a good distance from the other party.

You should never drive away for fear of getting infected. You should still follow routine procedures like calling the police, exchanging contact details with the other person, and getting pictures of the accident. But, it would help if you did so while maintaining a safe distance.

At best, you should not take or give business cards—exchange numbers through text. Using your smartphone camera, take pictures of their documents in a place where you don't actually have to hold the papers such as the ground.

Seek Medical Care

As part of standard procedure, you should get a medical consultation. If your injuries are benign, a call to your medical doctor will suffice. Inform them of your situation and schedule your visit.

However, if you have severe injuries, have yourself brought to the emergency room. You should not be wary about contracting the disease, as most medical centers have protocols on how to handle non-COVID-19 positive patients.

Medical consultation is necessary should you need to prepare for a lawsuit later on. Note that these medical consults can strengthen your case. Once you are sent home, you must make sure that you follow your healthcare provider's medical advice.

Expect Delays in Proceedings

Since most offices are closed due to quarantine orders, you should expect to have some delays in the processing of your insurance claims and lawsuit proceedings. Some courthouses can proceed with their hearings remotely through virtual conferences, but they are mostly prioritizing existing cases that they have.

Make Yourself Stronger

Should you need to file a claim or a lawsuit against the other party for personal injury, it would be best to use this time to collect evidence and make yourself stronger. Remember that once everything goes back to regular operations, you need to file your claim to ensure that it does not go beyond the statute of limitations, which is commonly two to three years depending on the state where you live.

It would also be best to research lawyers who can handle your case. Go for someone who has extensive experience with personal injury lawsuits.

While most people are staying home these days, the risk of being in an accident is still there. It could be due to the increased speeds at which vehicles can now run because of lighter traffic. Or it could also be due to people being distracted by the many stresses and uncertainties about the coronavirus. So, should you decide to go out, as always, be safe on the road.