Important Information In Regards To Knowing How COVID-19 Might Affect Your Personal Injury Case

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there are many questions up in the air as far as what happens now with people’s personal injury cases. Rest assured that if negligence doesn’t stay sheltered in during these times of uncertainty, neither will civil justice.

The McAllen car accident attorneys of J. Gonzalez Injury Attorneys will not turn away victims looking to make things right, and we will still continue to seek justice for personal injury victims by actively keeping in touch with them and their current cases.

With that said, below are a few key points that individuals who recently filed–or are in the process of filing–a claim should be aware of in regards to the coronavirus situation. 

County/County Courthouses Operations

Due to the latest emergency order issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the following limitations have been implemented on our Texas court system:

• The court is able to postpone, modify, or alter all deadlines and procedures no more than 30 days after the state of disaster has been lifted.
• The court is able to consider and allow sworn statements to be made outside of the courtroom through videoconferencing, teleconferencing, and other means.
• The court has to be notified if anyone involved in a case is showing, or knows if a participant has shown, any symptoms of COVID-19 or any other flu-like symptoms.
• The court can consider and allow the party, lawyers, and court reporters involved in a trial, deposition, or hearing to be summoned via video conferencing calls or phone calls. This excludes jurors.

In addition, three out of the four major county courthouses in the Rio Grande Valley have closed its doors to the general public until further notice. However, these courthouses are still operating only under the following circumstances:

• Cameron: Only accepting phone calls in regards to ongoing citations and options.
• Hidalgo: Only essential cases are being heard at this time, while cases that are considered non-essential have been postponed until a later date.
• Willacy: Operating through phone calls, mail, e-mail, and e-filing.

Respective county residents should be aware of their curfews that have been put in place by the respective county’s personnel. As of March 27th:

• Cameron: Shelter-in-place
• Hidalgo: Shelter-in-place
• Starr: Shelter-in-place
• Willacy: Shelter-in-place effective March 27th

Maintaining Your Current Insurance Policy 

While it might be tough to pay for if you are currently experiencing short-term unemployment or if you are limited in travel, you should still hang on to your policy. The State of Texas requires that you have car insurance if you are operating a vehicle, and you never know when you might need it as accidents can occur at any given time.

If neither party is covered by insurance, the odds of recovering any money from your accident can be slim-to-none in the worst-case scenario. While car insurance can help you cover some expenses that result from a car accident, these same entities are notorious for underpaying claims and even outright denying them. Because of this, only speak to an insurance company with a lawyer present.

Consulting Medical Assitance In The Event of a Car Accident

If you were involved in a car accident when you were picking up your essential needs or getting out of work and suffered significant injuries, despite any fears or anxieties you should seek out medical assistance as soon as possible.

The biggest mistake a car accident victim can do is denying medical assistance and refusing to see a doctor. While there is a lot of uncertainty in regards to seeing medical professionals right now, now is not the time to deny any medical evaluations or reject the necessary treatments you need like rehabilitation and medications in order to properly recover.

Being treated for your injuries, following your doctor’s orders, and acquiring the proper medical documentation will play a pivotal role as strong evidence in your personal injury claim. Refusing to consult with medical professionals due to the fear of potentially being exposed to the coronavirus will ultimately hurt your case and will prevent you from receiving the appropriate financial relief when your case concludes.

Don’t Hesitate To Call Our McAllen Car Accident Attorneys for Legal Concerns Surrounding Your Car Accident and COVID-19.

Perhaps the worst mistake one can do is ignoring to treat their injuries and having the thought that no legal help is available due to the current state of this COVID-19 pandemic. Just know that there is help, and regardless of any circumstances, civil justice can be served.

J.Gonzalez Injury Attorneys are able to take virtual consultations during this time and will be able to walk you through the entire legal process and evaluate what legal options are available in order to proceed with your case going forward.

Contact J. Gonzalez Injury Attorneys today at (956) 630-6700 or fill out the form below for a FREE, no-obligation case evaluation!