A little over a year ago, I was hit by a car while jogging. It was a clear day and I was on the side of the road and the road was empty. Basically, it was a little old blue hair that had no business driving. I filed a police report, the old lady even called me up that night to apologize and I have a witness that picked me up and could attest to her being out of it when he arrived.
To make a long story short, I was not seriously injured and have not really had any lingering effects from the accident.
I am now having difficulty getting her insurance company to settle with me in that they are not returning calls and, when I do speak to them, seem to be getting put off.
I am not seeking any big settlement, just money to pay for the medical bills, time lost from work and for some shoe pads ($20 a year) that I will have to use for the rest of my life.
I was considering writing a letter demanding about twice what I want to get and hinting at hiring a lawyer in hopes of getting some movement on the case. Is this a good idea? A friend who works for an injury lawyer told me it would be difficult to get some one to take my case as the money is relative chump change.
Any help or similar experiences would be great. I know that I have made mistakes handling the case, but I naively thought this was open/shut.