Legal Question in Personal Injury in Florida

25 year old male, playing football in a league in fort lauderdale. there was a large hole in the field during a league game. Having stepped into this hole accidentally I dislocated my knee cap causing extensive damage, needing surgery. intiially sat on the field for 25 mins in excruciating pain until the knee cap went back into place on its own, ems arrived and took me to hospital. MRI showed bone fragments from knee cap needing to be removed. I've been on crutches for 5 weeks, can't do much for myself. been out of work for weeks. surgery is scheduled for next week and ill need rehab for 4 weeks at least afterward.
county has yet to offer an amount but have said they will offer a "1 time settlement" and have even closed the field in question due to the defects.

question:
1. how much could i expect them to offer and how much is too little?
2. it happened over a month ago, should i seek representation just in case the settlement offer is significantly low?

Asked on 5/04/16, 4:19 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys

Barry Stein De Cardenas, Freixas, Stein & Zachary

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Impossible to put a dollar amount on a case without seeing medical records and seeing the scene. Yes you should hire an attorney. The county will not quickly nor easily make an offer

Answered on 5/04/16, 7:07 pm

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David Slater David P. Slater, Esq.

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You should have retained counsel long ago to preserve evidence (photos, witnesses) and investigate the claim. A Notice of Claim must be filed against Municipality immediately or you could lose all rights.

Answered on 5/04/16, 7:58 pm

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