Recent scientific developments in medicine have granted the country what we have all been waiting for — a vaccine for coronavirus. While state governments are quickening their pace in their efforts in reopening their economy and infrastructure, the pace of court hearings and trials have remained just about the same as it was when the initial lockdowns started: slow and with multiple delays.
Slowed Down Court Dates
Daniel Moran, is just one of many people across the country who are waiting for their trial that under pre-pandemic conditions would already have been concluded. He was waiting for a personal injury case to begin after being struck by a Frito-Lay truck while he and his wife were riding their bikes in a designated bike lane. After seeing several doctors, he received four different surgeries in various parts of his body. Considering the high cost of his treatment and the clear designations showing that the area he was riding in was only for bikes, Daniel felt that his case is worth more than what he would get by just settling out of court and that by winning in court, he would receive true justice.
When to Settle and When to Go to Court
The big problem in going this route is that insurance companies and the legal teams of large corporations full well that the lockdowns have caused trials and hearings to be backed up. They also have the luxury and the funds to further delay the process of a defendant getting a potential payout. They know that the longer the case drags on, the more vulnerable a defendant may become to receiving a settlement amount that’s significantly less than what the case is truly worth, especially if the defendant had already fallen on hard times as a result of the lockdowns. Any good attorney, like a personal injury attorney will educate their clients on when they shouldn’t settle and why. Then, it is the defendant’s job to ultimately decide whether or not to settle.
These purposeful delays have only made an already bad situation worse as several defendants across the country ended up taking less money than what they could have while those who are still holding on the promise of a trial are going to be hanging in there for the long haul until they get the hearing that finally concludes their case. Many defendants and personal injury attorneys are hoping the pace of hearings and trials changes soon. After all, if the defendant’s settlement amount is lower, then the attorney’s own payment for handling the case is lower too.