Being involved in an auto accident is always a stressful situation. When you are involved in an auto accident, there are many different steps that need to be taken to ensure everything is handled properly. Like many other life situations, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how car accident cases and situations are handled. You should be aware of several changes in handling car accident cases during COVID-19.
Consider Medical Attention Needs
One of the biggest factors to think about when you are involved in an accident is if you need to receive medical attention. If someone is seriously injured as a result of an accident, you should still call for immediate medical care. However, if the injuries seem minor, you should avoid going to an emergency room as it could be filled with people who are infected, which puts you at greater risk.
Instead, you should schedule a time to meet with your primary care physician as soon as possible. When you meet with your physician, you can receive a full checkup in a more controlled environment where social distancing is possible.
Maintain Social Distancing
After you have been involved in a car accident, you are bound to need to speak with a variety of people on the scene. This could include speaking with the other party, police officers, and witnesses.
While this communication is important, you should still maintain social distancing as well as possible. During this process, you should wear a mask and try to stand at least six feet apart from other people, as this could reduce the risk of infection.
Document the Scene and Accident
The most important thing that you need to do during any car accident, even during COVID-19, is to make sure that the accident is properly documented. You should make sure that you take plenty of pictures with your phone including pictures of the cars involved, any damage and pictures of the other party’s contact information.
It would also be ideal to call the local police department to further document the accident. You can then share all of this information with both your insurance company and attorney, when necessary. During this process, you should avoid touching other people’s belongings as it could lead to the spread of germs.
Expect Delays
When a car accident takes place, you likely will want the process to be over as quickly as possible. However, you need to realize that the process could take longer than normal.
Insurance companies, auto mechanics and other people that you rely on during these situations are all operating in a different environment than they were in the past. Due to this, they may be slower at reviewing your case and getting the work done. While you should be patient, maintaining communication with the parties during the process is still a good idea.
Negotiations and Documentation Handled Remotely
When it comes to handling the legal side of a car accident, more of the work than ever before will be handled remotely. Most of the time, you will be able to handle a case efficiently. However, if you feel that your rights are not represented and you are not receiving a fair settlement, it would make sense to hire an attorney.
If you do hire legal representation, you should expect for more of the work to be handled remotely. This could include having phone and virtual calls with the other party and signing documents electronically.
If you are involved in a car accident during COVID-19, it continues to be important that you ensure your rights are properly represented. During any car accident case during COVID-19, the process of handling the case may seem different than it did prior to the pandemic.
These are just some examples of how the case could be handled differently to ensure that all people involved are properly cared for and remain safe.
