The COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic has more than disrupted daily life. It has brought some people’s lives to a standstill. Hundreds of thousands of people in the US alone have suffered serious illnesses and health complications from COVID-19. If you are one of them, you may have grounds to file a personal injury claim against a party such as your employer, a nursing home or a hospital for negligently exposing you to the virus.
Lawsuits Against Cruise Lines and Airlines
At the beginning of the pandemic, many cruise lines mishandled the situation and ignored health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some cruise lines continued their operations as usual for the first few months despite the CDC marking cruise travel as a Level 4 risk for COVID-19.
If you were a passenger or worker on a cruise ship and caught COVID-19 on the cruise, you may have grounds for a claim against the cruise line. A similar situation occurred with airlines failing to properly protect their workers and passengers. An airline may owe you compensation as well if lax sanitation procedures or safety measures contributed to your illness.
Workplace Lawsuits
Hundreds of workers have already come forward with COVID-19 lawsuits against their employers for negligently failing to protect them from the virus. Employers have a responsibility to keep employees reasonably safe at work. If an employer ignored CDC guidelines for sanitation, social distancing, reduced capacity, masks, COVID-19 testing, employee quarantines and other protocols, that employer could be liable for an employee contracting the virus. Workplace lawsuits have been especially common in the health care industry, where hospitals and medical centers failed to properly protect staff members working in COVID-19 units.
Medical Malpractice Claims
Negligence by a hospital or health care center could also lead to COVID-19-related medical malpractice claims. Although many individuals and companies in the health care industry have done their best to protect patients in the face of the novel coronavirus, others have cut corners and ignored the rules.
If a health care organization did not take appropriate measures to protect its staff members and patients, it could be legally responsible for related illnesses. If your loved one passed away from complications related to COVID-19 and you believe the hospital could have done more to save his or her life, for example, your family may have a medical malpractice claim against the organization for wrongful death.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawsuits
Nursing homes have been under intense scrutiny since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. As places responsible for the safety and care of those most vulnerable to severe health complications – seniors 65 and older – nursing homes should have taken resident safety extremely seriously. Yet many fumbled with safety and sanitation regulations and failed to keep their residents safe. Others committed nursing home neglect and abuse while residents were isolated from their family members. If your loved one suffered harm in a nursing home during COVID-19, you may have grounds for a claim.
Business Insurance Claims
Millions of businesses have come on dire times due to mandatory shutdowns from the pandemic. Many business owners thought their business interruption insurance protected them, only to find out this was not the case. Insurance companies are denying claims based on virus exceptions and other policy loopholes. If an insurance company denied your business interruption insurance claim, contact a lawyer for assistance with negotiations.
Contact a Lawyer About Your COVID-19 Claim
Lawsuits against cruise lines, airlines, employers, hospitals, nursing homes, daycare centers, companies, insurance providers, the government and many other entities may be possible for losses related to COVID-19. If you or a loved one has experienced serious health problems and medical bills due to someone else’s neglect to protect you from COVID-19, contact a lawyer for a free consultation.