We’ve received many questions from the public about how the novel coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19, will affect their ability to get compensation after an accident. Below, our lawyers provide the most recent information.
Yes. Personal injury law is in full effect, even with the pandemic. If you were injured in an accident, you can still contact our law firm for help bringing a claim. For example, if you have a car accident claim, you can submit it to the at-fault driver’s insurance company, which should also be in business.
As of this writing, the courts in Nevada remain open. They might close in the future, especially if the pandemic gets out of control. Courts in several states such as Pennsylvania have closed due to the virus, and the same could happen in our state. In Clark County, certain hearings are being held remotely, but the courts remain open for the most part.
Of course, injured victims need to file lawsuits in a timely manner to comply with the statute of limitations. But it is easy to file electronically in our district, so meet with an attorney to protect your right to compensation.
A week ago, Governor Sisolak ordered that nonessential businesses close for at least a month. This closure has affected casinos, movie theaters, gyms, and other businesses. As mentioned on our home page, as of March 30th, 2020, we’re open as an essential service. Should this change, we will notify the public on our website.
If coming into the office is not convenient for you—for example, you might be self-quarantining or you might not feel comfortable going out in public—then you can call us over the phone or send us an email. We will be happy to work with you remotely to complete as much work as possible.
This is a serious concern, and we are glad that people are thinking about this possibility. Let’s say that you were injured by a business. You might have slipped and fallen in a casino, or you could have been burned in a restaurant. To get compensation in these types of premises liability claims, you need to sue the business where you were injured.
But the country’s economy is vulnerable right now, and many businesses might go bankrupt. If they do, they might wipe out many of the lawsuits against them. This means that you could lose your ability to sue them for compensation.
How do you protect yourself? Bring your claim as soon as possible. Please contact Ladah Law Firm to go over what you need to do to make a solid claim.
They very well could. Some accidents, like car accidents, might decline if there are fewer people out on the road. Congestion is a major contributing factor to motor vehicle wrecks, but it is less of a concern if more people stay home.
However, other personal injury cases could shoot through the roof. For example, many businesses are furloughing or laying off some of their staff. This means more work falls onto the shoulders of the remaining staff. As a result, they might cut corners or become injured. Safety could become laxer with so few people at a workplace.
For example, you might stay in a hotel or visit a business that has had to pare back their security staff. The odds of suffering an attack on the property could increase. Our firm has experience bringing negligent security claims, and businesses are not relieved of their duty to make premises safe simply because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is pretty unlikely. Right now, the mortality rate in the United States is around 2%. It is probably much lower once you include all the people who have caught the virus but show no symptoms. And most of those dying seem to be very elderly and sick already. The social distancing put into place should also lower the number of people who die in the future.
However, it is always possible that the defendant in a car accident or other case dies before a settlement is reached. This has happened before, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, so it remains a remote possibility.
In this event, the case can continue against the deceased person’s estate, which must be resolved before the personal representative can distribute assets to heirs and beneficiaries. Please contact us if you have questions about bringing suit when the defendant has died.
Possibly. Many economists predict that the economy will tank due to the coronavirus pandemic. Already, 3 million people have filed for unemployment benefits, which is a record amount in our nation’s history. We anticipate that many more workers will lose their jobs and need to cut expenses which, for some, will include cutting their car insurance.
If you were injured in a car accident, then the other driver’s insurance usually pays out benefits. Fortunately, you can still purchase uninsured motorist coverage as protection, which will pay benefits if you were injured and the other motorist has no coverage. This is excellent coverage to have.
It might. Of course, very few of our cases need to go to a jury trial. Instead, we are able to come to a favorable settlement with the defendant. If you currently have a trial scheduled, please contact us for more information about the status of your case.
We are here for our clients and the public during this difficult time. At our firm, we believe in being flexible when trying to solve our client’s legal problems. We are happy to meet with you by phone for a free consultation to discuss your case. Please call us today, 702-252-0055 or send us an online message.