FK, 29, contacted Lipkin & Apter after being struck by a car while she was a pedestrian. She was crossing within the crosswalk on Austin Ave in Morton Grove, Illinois, when knocked down by a car making a right turn on a red light. The event was witnessed by a police officer.
FK was taken by ambulance to a local hospital where she was found to have 3 broken ribs and a severe bruise to her right knee. She was given a knee brace and a walker at the hospital, which she used for a month. She followed up with an orthopedic surgeon at Illinois Bone and Joint Institute for her knee injury, and went through 4 weeks of physical therapy. There was no specific treatment for her broken ribs, which took 6 weeks to heal.
An instructor at a college preparatory testing center, FK lost a week and a half from work. FK’s medical providers sent us liens for their unpaid services. A lien is a simple document served on an injured party’s attorney creating a legal right to be paid from the proceeds of a successful case. If ignored, the medical facility holding the lien can bring suit directly against the patient or patient’s attorney.
In this case, Lipkin & Apter was able to negotiate a reduction of FK’s lien by $40,000, providing her with a net settlement sum (after medical expenses) of more than $97,000.