What is my Illinois workers' compensation case worth? We can tell you what it isn't worth.
A caller who was taken advantage of by an attorney called us recently, very upset. He had a shoulder surgery and because his wage was low, the settlement amount he was offered - which his attorney recommended he take - was not that high. He called us wanting to know what we thought was fair.
It's almost impossible to give a good valuation without seeing medical records, but that's not why I am writing this post. During the conversation it was revealed that the reason the client was upset with the offer is because his attorney told him when he first signed up that he was shooting for a settlement of around $1.2 million!!!
Now if you aren't that familiar with Illinois workers' compensation laws, you might not know that in even the most serious, life altering situations, a case is not worth near that much money. We obtained the highest settlement that we have ever seen at the Workers' Compensation Commission and that was for $800,000 for a young, permanently disabled client. Most cases where the worker makes a good recovery go for somewhere in the five figures and some others where the injury is major or the recovery isn't good go in the low to mid six figures.
For a lawyer to tell his client to expect over $1 million on a case where the client is going to be returning to his normal job is just scummy and an example of why lawyers have a bad name. If you went to me about handling your case and I estimated it was worth $50,000 and another lawyer estimated $1,000,000, you'd probably hire the other guy. But if it seems too good to be true then it probably is. Now this other lawyer is facing an ethical violations report and the client is pissed.
We are workers' compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
One of two things are true about any lawyer who tries to tell the client what his case is worth at the initial interview what his case is worth:
1. They have no idea what they are doing.
2. They are doing a sales job on the client.
Either one should send the client running for the hills. This is especially true when a client gets a high "quote" like that in a comp case because the value is driven by the average weekly wage.
My son's middle finger on his left hand was crushed at work. He was off for 3 months. They did surgery to re-build his finger but he is unable to make a fist or bend his finger. The insurance company offered him $5,200. What do you think about this offer.
We reply: There is no way to answer this without seeing his medical records. We'd be happy to review them.
Ref to a Spinal Fusion surgery . Does the amount of ttd the worker makes determine the settlement since this is a majior surgery and the worker, my wife makes a low ttd is that all they go off? (thettd and what the doc says?)
Thank You
Jason,
1. No, TTD has almost nothing to do with it. We look at the medical records, restrictions (if any) and how this will impact her in the future.
2. We can take the case to trial, still get her paid and keep her medical rights open which may be important because she has hardware in place.
I hurt myself at work i had #2 torn meniscus that happen in 6-09 in chicago il iv'e had knee surgery since that now im back to work i make 15,dollars an hour im a 48yr old man, could you give me a ball park figure how much money i could get, thank you very much.
WE REPLY: There is no way to say what this is worth without seeing your medical records, but you'll never get more by going it alone than you would with a lawyer.