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Here is an example of what a demand letter might look like in a car accident claim where the crash resulted in serious injury. Feel free to use it as a template to follow when drafting your own correspondence to the at-fault driver's insurance adjuster.
Ms. Jane Lindley
National Insurance
P.O. Box 990
Chicago, IL 60007
Re: Your insured, William Hodge
Claimant: [Your Name]
Date of loss: April 4, 20xx
Claim No.: 7655454VC (Always use the insurer's file number on all correspondence related to the claim.)
Dear Ms. Lindley:
I have finished my medical treatment, and so I am enclosing all of my medical records and bills on this case. (Always make sure that the adjuster has all of your medical records and bills relating to your injury when you send a demand letter. Adjusters typically won't make settlement offers until they have reviewed your entire medical file.)
As you know, I was injured when your insured, Mr. Hodge, ran a red light and hit my car broadside while I was going through the intersection at 4 th and Main Streets. The police came to the accident scene and cited Mr. Hodge for going through a red light. I understand that he subsequently paid the ticket and did not try to appeal it. He was clearly negligent and at-fault for the accident. (Your discussion of liability should be short and to the point, especially when liability is strongly in your favor. First, you should explain how you got hurt. Second, you should explain exactly why you claim the other driver was at fault for the car accident. That's all that you need to say.)
I was in extreme pain and had to be cut out of my car with the fire department's "jaws of life" tool. I was taken to Community Hospital by ambulance where they told me that I needed emergency surgery. Not only had I suffered herniated discs at L4-5 and L5-S1, but I also had lacerated my left kidney due to the force of the impact. The kidney required emergency surgery. I was in the hospital for five days on serious pain medication the entire time.
When I was released, I began seeing three different doctors: my general practitioner, Dr. Melton, who kept track of and prescribed my medications, and oversaw my recovery in general; the kidney specialist, Dr. Frederick; and the orthopedist, Dr. Albert. Dr. Frederick pronounced me recovered from the lacerated kidney in a month.
I had several X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans of my back to determine the severity of the injury. I couldn't start physical therapy (PT) as soon as Dr. Albert would've liked because Dr. Frederick wouldn't let me do PT until I recovered from the kidney surgery. I finally started PT two months post-accident, on June 17, but I got nowhere. The disc injuries were too severe. So, Dr. Albert decided that he would do fusion surgeries on both discs. (Say exactly what your diagnosis or diagnoses are and do your best to summarize the high points of your treatment chronologically.)
I had the surgery on August 30 and restarted physical therapy at the end of September. Please see the attached spreadsheet for a summary of all of my treatments. (When you have had a lot of medical treatment, you should create a spreadsheet that lists all of your medical treatments by health care providers. That helps both you and the insurance claims adjuster.)
Finally, after six months more of physical therapy, pain management, and hard work, I reached a point in my recovery where I could start doing physical things again. It has now been 18 months post-accident, and I am not where I want to be in my recovery, but I am getting there. The recovery has been very painful. I took prescription pain medication until October, and I still take Tylenol daily.
I am a software designer and sit at a desk all day. I could not sit comfortably for months. I was unable to work until the beginning of November. However, my company could not wait for me to recover and was not able to provide me with my job back.
Before the accident, I was a regular bicyclist. I generally rode five days per week, probably 60 miles per week. I have not yet gotten back onto a bike. I have not gone dancing with my girlfriend. Nor did we do any traveling this summer or fall. I did not rake any leaves this fall and did not shovel any snow this winter. This was a serious accident, and it has prevented me from doing the things that I like to do and the chores I have to do for myself and my family. (Say how the injury has affected your life. You want to explain clearly and concisely your injuries and your pain and suffering. Don't exaggerate. Just explain what your injuries were and how they affected your life.)
My medical bills total $25,200.00. I paid $1,000 in co-pays. My health insurance paid the remainder of the bills, but they have sent me a letter in which they claim a lien of $14,000.00 on any settlement that I may get in this case. (If you have to repay the entity who provided your medical treatment after an injury—and you almost always have to—make sure that you tell the adjuster.)
My medical bills were as follows:
TOTAL $47,000.00 (You always want to put together a little chart listing your medical bills. Don't make the adjuster read through all of your medical records and calculate the total amount.)
Before the accident, I worked for Richardson Software earning $2,000 per week. As stated above, I claim nine months (38 weeks) of lost earnings. My medical records clearly state that I was unable to work until November. Accordingly, my lost earnings claim is $76,000. (State your lost earnings claim briefly and clearly. Make sure that you have a doctor's note saying that you needed to be out of work for the entire time that you were out of work. Also include a letter from your employer verifying the dates of your employment, salary, and the amount of time you were out of work because of the accident.)
My total special damages are $123,000.00 ($47,000 in medical bills and $76,000 in lost earnings).
Taking into account your insured's clear liability and my serious damages, I demand $425,000.00 to settle this case. (Your demand should be significantly higher than what you are willing to settle for, but not unreasonable. You want room to negotiate and you want the adjuster to take your demand seriously.)
I hope to hear from you soon, no longer than 30 days from the date of this letter. (If you don't hear from the adjuster in a month, follow up with a phone call. If you still don't hear back, check out: The Insurance Company Isn't Responding To My Demand Letter: What Should I Do?)
After you send your demand letter, you'll have to wait to hear back from the adjuster. The adjuster might agree to your demand right away or make a reasonable offer to settle your claim. Some claims take a bit more work. The adjuster might ignore your demand letter or reject your claim outright.
If an adjuster doesn't respond to your demand, be persistent. Confirm that the adjuster has your entire file and ask for an explanation for the lack of response to your demand.
If an adjuster makes an unreasonably low offer, ask the adjuster to give you reasons for the lowball offer and explain in writing why the adjuster is wrong about your claim.
You can talk to a lawyer at any point during the car accident claim process. A lawyer can:
Learn more about how a car accident attorney can help you. You can also connect with a lawyer directly from this page for free.
For more tips on putting a demand letter together, check out: Demand Letters in Injury Cases .