settlement for pain and suffering in a hit and run
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settlement for pain and suffering in a hit and run
I was involved in a hit and run in which I was able to get his license plate and the police did find him. I am going through his insurance with settlement at the moment and they have offered to reimburse my out of pocket medical expenses in the amount of over $500 and for pain and suffering the amount of $300. The guy who hit my car got a slap on the hand with just a $150 fine and never contacted his insurance. I don’t feel like $300 is enough for the amount of stress and pain I really went through to finally settle this claim. What do you feel should be the amount I settle the claim for?
Asked on June 26, 2009 under Accident Law, Colorado
Answers:
M.S., Member, Connecticut Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 14 years ago | Contributor
Although I do not practice law in the State of Colorado, the general rule is that more facts would be necessary before an Attorney would be able to make an educated guess with respect to the value of your claim. However, since you did treat (to some extent) with a physician following your accident, I agree that $300 for suffering seems incredibly low. Therefore, rather than basing any advice that I could provide upon guesswork or inferences, I recommend that you put together all of the documentation of your injuries (medical records, etc.) and consult with and/or retain a personal injury attorney to represent your interests with respect to this claim in order to obtain the most favorable settlement/verdict possible. Personal injury attorneys usually work on a contingency basis, which means they only get paid out of a percentage of whatever money they are able to recover; therefore, there is no risk/cost to you upfront to have this type of consultation in order to determine/obtain the appropriate value of your claim.
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