How is COVID-19 Affecting Personal Injury Cases in Ohio?

Court Shut Downs in Ohio

The most immediate impact of COVID-19 on your potential personal injury case in Ohio is that most courts are shut down except for criminal and emergency hearings until June 1, 2020.  So that means if you had a hearing or trial scheduled anytime from mid-March to July, 2020, then your case has likely experienced delays.  However, if you had a hearing or trial for your personal injury case already scheduled, then that means you most likely already have a personal injury attorney that should be keeping you up to date on the details.  If you don't have a personal injury attorney then you can call one at Harris & Engler at (614) 610-9988.

The Court Shut Downs Wont Be That Big of a Deal Unless You Had a Trial

Personal injury cases in Ohio take a long time.  Once a lawsuit is filed for your personal injury case the case will be in the court system for 1 - 2 years before a trial.  The vast majority of the time your case will be settled or resolved before a trial.  Most of your case is done trhough court filings or between the attorneys.  With that said, the Court shut down will likely not have any affect on your case unless you happened to have something scheduled during a period of time in which the Court was closed - in which case your hearing will simply get continued a few months.

Other Ways COVID-19 Might Affect Your Personal Injury Case

After you are hurt in an accident, then you should be seeing a doctor to be treated for your injuries.  COVID-19 may affect how you see your doctor (tele-appointment), or how frequently you are able to see your doctor.  The COVID-19 pandemic has also put a halt to elective surgeries.  All in all, COVID-19 may disrupt or delay what would be your normal course of treatment.

Don't Let COVID-19 Keep You From Getting a Good Personal Injury Attorney

The personal injury attorneys at Harris & Engler help clients all across Ohio.  The law firm of Harris & Engler takes extraordinary safety precautions when it comes to COVID-19.  The personal injury lawyers at Harris & Enlger can consult with you over the phone and can conduct business electronically in order to best serve you.  If you want to discuss your personal injury case then please feel free to give us a call at (614) 610-9988.

Ohio Civil Rules of Procedure Amended to Give More Time to Litigators for Summary Judgment Motions

The Supreme Court of Ohio adopted changes to the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure, including Civ.R. 6, which was amended to expand the timeline for which a response to a Motion for Summary Judgment is due from 14 days to 28 days.  The timeline for repsonses to all other motion sremains at 14 days and all replies to responses remain at 7 days.  The effective date of the amendment is July 1, 2019.

This is good news for litigators as it provides more time to prepare a response to a motion for summary judgment.  The Central Ohio law firm of Harris & Engler has attorneys well experienced in civil litigation who know the value of a few extra weeks to respond to a motion for summary judgment.  A motion for summary judgment is just one possible tool an attorney can use to try to win a civil lawsuit before trial.  It is an in depth and time intensive motion to prepare.  Two weeks has always been a very short timeline to prepare a response to a motion for summary judgment.  28 days will be better suited to allowing civil litigation attorneys more time to draft well researched and well written responses.  

What To Do About Personal Injuries in Columbus, Ohio

If you've been hurt in an accident and that accident was someone else's fault, then you may be wondering what you can do about it.  Attorney Evan T. Engler is a personal injury attorney and partner at the Columbus, Ohio based law firm of Harris & Engler.  Evan T. Engler has helped clients in Columbus and across Ohio with their personal injury cases and he helps clients get the compensation they deserve.  If you've been hurt, you may be wondering if you have a personal injury case, and if so, what you can do about it.

What To Do About Your Personal Injury Case

The first thing to keep in mind is that Ohio has a two year statute of limitations for personal injury negligence cases, and a one year statute of limitations for medical malpractice.  That means if you don't bring your personal injury case within two years of being injured, then you can't bring it at all.  You only have one year from the date of injury to bring a medical malpractice case.

The most important thing you can do to help your personal injury case is to go to your doctor in order to get your injuries fully evaluated and diagnosed and then follow your doctor's orders for the treatment of your injuries.  There are many times when someone gets hurt in an accident and then calls an attorney to see what their case is worth and then the attorney will come to find out that the victim never went to the doctor.  If you did not think your injuries were serious enough to see a doctor, then an insurance company is not going to think your injuries are serious enough to compensate you for it.

Finding a Personal Injury Lawyer in Columbus, Ohio

When you've been injured in an accident, the biggest priority is talking to a medical doctor about your injuries and treatment.  The next most important thing is finding a good personal injury attorney.  Evan T. Engler is a personal injury lawyer who helps accident victims in Columbus and all over Ohio.  If you want to do things right and get maximum compensation for your injuries, then you should talk with an experienced personal injury attorney.  Evan T. Engler has vast experience helping his clients get fully compensated for their injuries.  You can call Evan today to discuss your case by calling (614) 610-9988.

Central Ohio Lawsuit Attorneys

In a civil lawsuit, you're either the person who filed the lawsuit (the Plaintiff) or the one that the lawsuit was filed against (the Defendant).  If you're the Plaintiff, then the only point to filing a lawsuit is to try to win it.  An experienced civil litigation attorney can help your chances of winning a lawsuit by gathering together all the relevant documentation and evidence before the lawsuit is filed in order to properly build your case.  

If you're the Defendant, then you want to try to make the lawsuit go away as fast as possible.  The Defendant is a stressful position to be in in a lawsuit because unless you can forcibly make the lawsuit go away, then the Plaintiff is in control of the lawsuit and moving it forward.  An experienced civil lawsuit attorney may be able to get the lawsuit to go away through a Motion to Dismiss, Motion for Summary Judgment, or victory at trial.

The Columbus, Ohio based law firm of Harris & Engler has experienced litigators who help clients file or defend lawsuits in Columbus, Delaware, and greater Central Ohio.

How to Win a Lawsuit as a Defendant

If you've been named as a Defendant in a lawsuit, then you need an attorney, plain and simple.  There are a few options at an experienced litigators disposal for trying to win a lawsuit outright for the Defendant.  First, if there is some procedural or technical error with the Complaint, then an attorney can file a Motion to Dismiss the lawsuit.

If a Motion to Dismiss is not appropriate or unsuccessful, then the next step that an experienced litigator would do is conduct discovery (forced exchange of information and evidence) with the opposing party in order to build the Defendant's case.  Then, if it is appropriate to do so, the attorney can file a Motion for Summary Judgment.  A Motion for Summary Judgment can only be filed when there is no dispute about the facts of the case, just the law.  For example, if the crux of the case is that the Plaintiff says that Sally caused the car accident and the defense says that Sally wasn't even in the car, then that is a material dispute of fact and the case cannot be resolved through summary judgment.  If a Motion for Summary Judgment is either not appropriate or unsuccessful, then the next way to potentially end the case is through settlement.  

If both parties are able to reach an agreement amongst themselves, then there is no reason to proceed further in litigation.  A good litigator is also a highly skilled negotiator.  If negotiations fail to produce the desired result, then the only next step is to try the case.

A civil case can be tried in front of a jury or it can be a bench trial where it is decided by a Judge.  Usually it is the Plaintiff that decides whether it will be a jury trial or not, but the Defendant can also request a jury trial.

How to Win a Lawsuit as a Plaintiff

A lot of the steps are similar or the same for winning a case as a Plaintiff as they would be with a Defendant, except that the first step for the Plaintiff might be winning the lawsuit through Default Judgment.  If the Defendant does not file an answer to the Complaint, then the Plaintiff can file a Motion for Default Judgment and win everything they asked for in the Complaint.  

Beyond that, the process is the same, in that the Plaintiff will conduct discovery, file a Motion for Summary Judgment, if appropriate, to win the case, negotiate, if appropriate, or just take the case to trial.

Only an experienced civil litigation attorney gives you the best chance to win your case.  The law firm of Harris & Engler represents either Plaintiffs or Defendants in Columbus, Delaware, and greater Central Ohio.

Experienced Litigators Giving You the Best Chance to Win Your Lawsuit

The attorneys at Harris & Engler have vast experience helping both Plaintiffs and Defendants with their lawsuits in the Columbus, Delaware, and greater Central Ohio area.  The litigators at Harris & Engler know that for a Plaintiff, the case is built up front before filing suit and during discovery after a lawsuit is filed in order to build your case in the best position possible for success.  For defense of a lawsuit, a number of different strategies and tactics can be used.  It is usually the goal of Defendants to make the lawsuit go away as quickly and as cheaply as possible.  

Whether you are a Plaintiff or Defendant, if you'd like to consult with an experienced civil litigation lawyer, you can speak to one today by calling Harris & Engler at (614) 610-9988.

Personal Injury Lawyer Columbus Ohio

Attorney Evan T. Engler helps personal injury victims in Columbus and across Ohio recover for their injuries suffered due to the negligence or wrongdoing of others.  If you or a loved one has suffered personal injuries due to an auto accident or other type of tragic accident due to machinery failure or dangerous conditions on property, then you would be best served by retaining the services of a good personal injury attorney.  

Experienced Columbus Personal Injury Attorney

The Columbus, Ohio based law firm of Harris & Engler has experienced personal injury attorney and partner Evan T. Engler who has extensive experience helping clients in Columbus and all around Ohio recover top dollar for their injuries.  Every case is different because the circumstances and injuries are unique to each individual and each accident.  With that, you need a personal injury attorney who is focused on you, your specific needs, and your specific injuries so that you can get the best results.

You Deserve The Best Results For Your Case

Results matter, both to you, and the personal injury law firm of Harris & Engler.  When your livelihood is at stake, you can't afford to get anything but the best results.  Personal injury attorney Evan T. Engler works with his clients and doesn't stop until the best possible results are achieved.

Types of Personal Injury Cases Handled By Harris & Engler

Pesonal injury attorney Evan T. Engler helps clients obtain compensation for car accident and truck accident cases, wrongful death and survivorship cases, injuries caused by mechanical failure or dangerous conditions on property, and for brain and spine injury cases.  

If you would like to speak with a personal injury attorney, then you can call Evan T. Engler today at (614) 610-9988.
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Disclaimer:  Harris & Engler offers this website and the content on it for informational purposes only, as a service for our clients and friends.  The contents of this site are not considered legal advice for any purpose, and you should not consider them as such advice or as legal opinion on any matters. 

With Offices Located at: 30 Northwoods Blvd., Suite 350, Columbus, Ohio 43235
Phone: (614) 610-9988  Email: contactus@harrisengler.com