Legal Question in Personal Injury in Illinois
Demand letter
I was injured in an auto accident, where a small bus ran a red light and hit my car. After months of severe/2nd degree back pain/problems and mental defeciencies,I have to come up w/ an estimate of what I think is an adequate amount to sue for.
HOW DO I DO THAT.!?
5 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Demand letter
Determining what the value of your personal injury case is worth can be very difficult for someone who does not have experience in this field. There are many factors that come into play in dealing with injury claims, for example, how the accident occurred, which insurance company is involved, what type of injury you sustained, the amount of your medical bills, the type of medical treatment that you have received, the type of doctors that you saw, plus many other variables. I welcome you to contact our office and we would be more than happy to discuss your case with you. You should be aware that there are time frames in which you have to either settle or file a lawsuit. I look forward to hearing from you.
Re: Demand letter
Well, you hire a lawyer to represent you. As they say on television, anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. Statements by your attorney are often protected from such use. You could try to represent yourself, but as they say, "you will have a fool for a client."
Re: Demand letter
It is impossible to advise you on what your case is worth, since you have not provided any information on your damages. More importantly, there may be various statute of limitations issues. For example, you must file a notice of claims within 6 months of the incident if a CTA bus was involved. If City of Chicago property was involved, the statute of limitations is 1 year. Otherwise, you may have up to 2 years to file suit. E-mail or call me with any questions - you do not want your lawsuit to be barred because of a procedural error!
Re: Demand letter
You can talk to an attorney who can place a value on your case based on previous experience with similar cases. In Illinois you have several choices: Less than $5,000; Less than $15,000, Less than $30,000, Less than $50,000 but more than $30,000 and more than $50,000.
I do not know about your injuries. What your case is worth is a combination of several factors among which are:
1- who is the defendant;
2- what are you injuries;
3- how the accident happened;
4- what sort of a treatment you have received and by whom;
5- what sort of witness you will make on the stand in front of the jury;
6- what sort of witness the defendant will make on the stand in front of the jury
And other factors...
You should discuss your case with an attorney who knows what he or she is doing before going about filing a suit yourself and getting wiped out by a professional lawyer on the other side.
Good luck,
Nima Taradji
Re: Demand letter
You are welcome to call my office, and set up a free consultation. You may find that you are best served by hiring the right lawyer rather than trying to handle this on your own.